Dancing With Fire
by Usagi Princess1
Summary: Callous by past and sharp-tongued by experience, Miaka loves only one person; her mother. When she stumbles upon the Universe of the Four Gods she is forced to face the characteristics she ran away from…All because a hottheaded man accidently saved her.
1. Prelude: How I Became

Hey Guys this is my first Fushigi Yuugi Fic so hope ya like it! It's got quite a twist from the normal version so I thought I'd give it a try. Well without Further do Here we go!

By the way- I don't any of these characters.

"The Girl With the Lost Heart"

Prelude-How I Became

It was too perfect. The sun was shining, her mother had cooked her favorite food for breakfast "because she felt like it," she had received perfect hundreds on all of her sample high-school graduation tests, and someone had even acknowledged her today! Miaka Yuuki giggled to herself as she walked outside the large terrorizing middle school doors with a firm smile on her face. It was a rare occasion on which she would randomly smile these days, and the action itself made her mouth sore from her abandoned face muscles. The short girl only at 5'1", made her way slowly towards the steps. She had golden brown hair pulled into two buns on the sides of her head with two short strands hanging loosely at the sides. Her body was thin but she still had many of the needed curves to be a woman. Her eyes were large and her iris' a luminous brown.

Ever since her mother had married the mayor of Tokyo, Miaka had been unsure of how to act. When Miaka was four months old, her real father had left Miaka and her mother with as little money as possible and bills they knew were a far stretch from being paid. Her mother was forced to take up her old job as a nurse at the local hospital while Miaka was sent to a day school. Back in those days, Miaka had been easy-going and carefree and never let the fact that she didn't have a father get to her. However as she grew older she watched as other girls around her would grab their father's hands and smile with a twinkle in their eye. For her, being a single child was not easy. Years before Miaka was even born, her mother had a miscarriage with what could have been her older brother.

Miaka resorted to putting her face in books and teaching herself things most 8 year olds didn't know until six years later. Learning always comforted her whenever she longed for a father, or missed her mother who was never home. When her mother was home however, Miaka never let a second go wasted. Miaka's mother meant more than anything to her in the world. Her mother and her would cook her favorite sugar cookies every Saturday night and sit by the fireplace, reading stories and eating the savory treats. Once every couple of months her mother would take her to the mall, telling her she could pick one thing she wanted and Miaka would lose her mind trying to choose over a new doll or a huge box of candies. Miaka's favorite time however, was the trip they only took once a year.

Every spring, her mother and her would drive up to the western shore of Japan, climbing the tallest mountain on the coast. The long arduous hike would take them three hours but once they were at the top it was worth it.

Flashback

"Mommy what's out there?" Miaka pointed curiously to the horizon past the vast ocean. A small thin line of greenery could be seen, slightly layering the ocean.

"That's China sweetie, isn't it gorgeous?"

"Hai. Who lives over there?" Miaka smiled up at her mother and then looked back to the horizon

"Well, of course the Chinese. No one really special that you would know though. Their history is interesting…" her mother's words trailed off as she lost herself in a daze.

"How so?" Miaka asked curiously.

"Well, the Chinese our known for their ancient history. Myths especially." Her mother seemed to frown at the last two words but then smiled down at her daughter reassuringly.

"Can we read one together one day?" Miaka's face lit up with excitement, in hopes of an adventure.

"Perhaps when you're old enough" Her mother turned away from the horizon and looked back at her native country, Japan.

"Ready to go?" she called to Miaka.

"Hai!" Miaka ran after her mom and they both began the long trail back down the mountain.

End of Flashback

Miaka began to travel down the steps of the large school when she was stopped abruptly by three girls whom she knew all too well. The three people she DIDN'T want to know. She began to walk around them when the middle of the group stood directly in front of her.

"Nice CHANEL bag. Lemme guess you begged your daddy for it?"

"Not today Yui" Miaka gave Yui the cold shoulder and began walking home.

"Aww daddy's little spoiled brat is sad. Go cry to your daddy see what he does! Not like he's doing anything for Tokyo either!" Yui and her friends giggled and were surprised to see that Miaka had actually turned around.

Miaka took a good look at Yui. The girl was a few inches taller than her, giving Miaka the disadvantage. Her hair was blonde and shortly cropped on the back of her head. Her eyes may have been blue, but they were ice cold, and that didn't scare Miaka the slightest bit.

Miaka walked right up to her face and asked her this. "Yui. I have one question and only you can answer it."

Yui sighed and shrugged her arms. "Ask away Miss know-it-all."

"Is it hard to breathe when you have your nose stuck up other peoples' asses?" With that Miaka turned to go home, knowing she had left her opponent speechless.

She could hear muffled laughter that Yui's friends were not able to contain from her comeback.

"WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY???!!!" Yui's face turned red and she towered over her two friends.

"Mother! I'm Home!" Miaka shouted happily, waiting for her mother to greet her.

"Hi sweetie how was your day?" Her mother walked down the grand spiral steps of their new home and came down to meet her daughter.

Over the years, stress of work had weathered her mother greatly, but that never took over her astounding looks. Her pale brown hair was cut short but very neatly, allowing her large eyes to stand out. Her long slender body was adorned with a fresh white summer dress and her face glowed with a new health Miaka had never witnessed before.

"I got 100 on my sample high school graduation tests!" Miaka handed the scores for her mother to look over.

"That's great! Hopefully you'll be able to reciprocate this on the real exams and easily get into Jonan!" Her mother smiled and handed her the papers back. Jonan had been Miaka's goal since she could remember. It was the most prestigious high school around and only the top 5 of her high school would be accepted into its ominous doors.

"Your father will be coming home early so I'd thought we'd all go to that new tappas restaurant around the corner! I've heard they've got great deserts!" Her mother added in the last part with a hint of excitement.

"Count me in!!!!" Miaka drooled at the thought of food. She hadn't eaten since lunch, which seemed like three days ago. There was never a chance she could ever let a food opportunity down.

Shortly after greeting her mother, Miaka walked to the gardens in the back yard and sat quietly in the gazebo taking in the sights and smells.

Three years ago Miaka's dream had come true. She was granted a father, and a perfect one at that. Her father was handsome, athletic, was financially stable and loved her and her mother. He would go out of his way just to spend time with Miaka, whether it was taking her to a circus or to the mall it didn't matter.

Believing her life had been cured, Miaka expected her lonely life to change, however nothing went the way she expected. As soon as kids in her school realized her father was a multi-millionaire and was the mayor of Tokyo, they had called her spoiled, stuck-up, and had told her that it was the money that her mother was after.

"Don't listen to them. They don't know anything! They're missing out on a great opportunity" Her new father told her later that night.

"Like what?!" Miaka asked furiously through a fresh round of tears.

"They're missing out on the great daughter that I have! The Miaka that I know is fun, beautiful, and is the kindest person in the world!"

For saying just that, her father won over her love, all of her trust, and her heart.

Since then Miaka had learned to tolerate the harsh gestures of her fellow classmates. She wasn't cut any slack either due to her grades. She was currently ranked at the top of her class, and being 14 she was a year younger than everyone else. Along with her book smarts however Miaka had developed a sharp tongue, dripping with sarcasm, and she loved it.

"Miaka! Time to go!" Her mother called her from the screened in patio.

Miaka shook her dazed thoughts and ran towards her mother, her beloved father and FOOD.

Life was perfect. Until that one day. Until the one day, when the world stopped and everything slipped through her hands like grains of sand.

End of Prelude

Gomen it was short people! I wanted to give some background info that would make the story much better. Well anyways PLEASE REVIEW:-D gomen nasai!!!


	2. And So The Story Begins

Hey guys! Thought I'd continue on! Aren't I so nice?  Anyways…. To the story shall we? Hope yall like it!

Chapter 1 And So The Story Begins…

Beep.Beep.Beep.Beep….

"DAMNIT!!" Miaka threw her alarm clock to the floor with a cranky arm.

Rubbing her eyes, Miaka slowly sat up on her mattress which was laid on a cold tile floor. She looked at the mattress next to her and saw its vacant sheets. Her mother had once again left at 5 am to get to work. The tiny apartment was the only proof of a job. The job she had gotten a little less then a year ago. When it had all happened….

------Flashback-------

Miaka bounded up the steps with the acceptance papers in her hands. She held them up for all to see.

"Mother!" she cried before she reached the large doors of her mansion.

"Mother!!! I made it!!" Miaka threw the door open

Miaka stopped to meet an unfamiliar face, one she hadn't expected to see. In her home were several large men carrying large furniture down the stairs. Come to think of it, she had seen the large truck outside….

She curiously proceeded to the kitchen to where she found her mother sitting hunched at the table, her face buried in her hands.

"Mother?" Miaka placed a hand on her mother's back. "What's wrong?"

Her mother quickly wiped the tears hoping her daughter wouldn't see, but her bloodshot eyes gave away the fact that she had been crying for hours.

"Pack your things sweetie, we're leaving." Her mother tried with all of her might to smile, encouraging her daughter.

"Wh-Why?" Miaka's lips began to tremble.

"We cannot to afford to live here anymore. We're moving to a new home." Every few words her mother's voice would crack.

"But what about dad? Isn't he still on a campaign trip in Hong Kong?" Miaka held her breath.

"Daddy's gone sweetie" tears began rolling down her mother's soft cheeks once again.

"WHY?!" Miaka demanded, her eyes glazing.

Her mother stopped sobbing and looked out towards the garden.

"He found someone else….." her voice trailed off.

That was all it took to loose her trust in the world, to lose her heart.

---End Flashback---

Several weeks later, Miaka had found out that her dad had decided to run to China for good with a co-worker. Unfortunately, he had failed to mention to either of the two that he had been in a huge sum of debt for years, leaving Miaka and her mother with a few sets of clothes, two mattresses, and barely enough money to live off of for three months.

The only thing that had not gone down hill was Miaka's acceptance into Jonan. Her mother had celebrated by taking her out to eat later after she had gone back to work and Miaka had tried hard not to cry, knowing they didn't have the money for such a celebration but she could not let her mother down. Jonan High School had recognized her financial situation and had given her a full scholarship on behalf of her good grades and perfect scores.

Miaka quickly got dressed in her brown school uniform, her long white socks and brown loafers. Grabbing her homework from the night before, Miaka stuffed the papers into her book bag and headed out the door.

It was Friday, and the next two weeks she was off for spring break which was a relief due to all the homework she had been given. Who would have known being a freshman would be this hard?

--

-Later in Japanese Culture Honors class-

"Ok class. I know you're all excited about spring break, but that doesn't mean I won't assign homework" Ms. Yukosaki grinned evilly, flashing her glasses towards her students. Silent groans could be heard around the room.

Miaka slouched in her chair slightly but dismissed the situation. She actually enjoyed homework at times. It kept her busy, and kept her from being so lonely.

"Since this is a culture class after all we must ask ourselves, how did we become a nation? Of course not on our own! We had neighboring countries that helped to shape the way Japan is today! I'm assigning a 3000 word minimum essay(9-14 pgs) on the culture of our surrounding countries. I will be assigning each of you your own country, you do NOT get to pick."

The short pig-like teacher began to hand out requirements to each of the students and finally came upon Miaka.

"Ahh, Ms. Yuuki! You will be assigned Ancient China!" She placed the rather large packet on Miaka's desk and gave her a quick smile. Ms. Yukosaki loved Miaka, for the fact that she was so intelligent and loved to boast the fact in front of the class. Miaka hated being the teacher pet due to the result of evil stares she received from around the classroom.

"At least I got a country I have interest in…" Miaka grumbled to herself. She hated history, but Ancient China had always amused her.

"These will be due the first day back after break!" Ms. Yukosaki announced, breaking Miaka's thinking process.

The bell rang before her teacher could say much more. Miaka quickly gathered her belongings and headed out of the school. She let out a great sigh of relief, now that school was finally over for a while.

As Miaka proceeded on her way home an all too familiar figure blocked her way once again.

"How's the weather lookin Miss know-it all? Now that you have no roof?" Yui crossed her arms glaring down at Miaka.

"It's great, especially since I don't have to stare at dirt caked ceilings like you do" Miaka gritted her teeth but kept a straight face.

"You never cease to amuse me. You think that harsh tongue affects me? Anyways how's your father? Last I heard he left for some pig faced woman. Is your mother that bad?"

Miaka slowly turned around, her face red. No one talked about her mother that way.

Taking a deep breath she let out her anger. She found it useless to resort to violence in such stupid matters.

"Last I saw Yui, that 'Pig faced woman', was your mother." With that, Miaka began to walk home, ignoring whatever Yui had to say back.

Yui didn't have to say anything however, she was downright furious. Miaka had definitely hit a weak spot. Unknown to Miaka, Yui's mother had died years ago from an incurable illness.

'The little brat, she's going to pay…' With that last thought, Yui began to silently follow Miaka.

---At the apartment---

Miaka opened the door, dropping her school bag to the side and collapsed on her mattress stationed on the floor. It then hit her and she remembered her mother would not be coming home that night. She was going to be gone for almost a week, hopefully getting a promotion at a hospital farther away. This left Miaka home alone for the whole spring break. The thought of it almost frightened her but she shook it off and got up from her mattress.

"I might as well get started on my project," she mumbled to herself.

Just as she was picking up her school bag to go to the library she heard a sound far from familiar. It sounded of a far distant cry of a large bird. It didn't sound like any other bird she had ever heard in her lifetime….

Miaka turned around to where she had heard the cry and stared down the hall towards their storage room. Laughing at herself for such an absurd thought as a bird being in the house, Miaka still placed her bag on the floor and began walking towards the storage room out of curiosity. Little did she know that Yui quietly slipped in the door behind her.

Technically, Miaka had never been inside the storage room. Her mother had not allowed her because she had said she had secret journals inside. Miaka opened the door and suddenly an image of a large red glowing bird appeared before her. As soon as it appeared however it disappeared into the back of the room. Miaka now curious as ever followed to where she had seen the image disappear.

In order to do so Miaka had to move furniture and books out of her way. Her mother had way too many books, most of them, interestingly in Chinese. Miaka slowly made her way to the back of the room to where a single box of ancient books had been placed.

The box looked as if it hadn't been touched in years. Dust covered the books so heavily that you couldn't see the titles or the color of the books. Miaka shuffled through the books and looked for something interesting. This meant that she pick the oldest book in the stack.

Miaka pulled out a thick book that was so dirty it looked as if it was just a clump of dust. She blew hard letting the dust particles fly through the air.

The book had a red casing and was written in a neat ancient Chinese scripture.

"The Universe of the Four Gods?" Miaka read the title with a hint of confusion. "Must be a fiction book, because ancient China definitely didn't have four gods…."

Miaka curiously opened to the first page and read the first couple lines of the book, settling herself in a good position so she could read for a while.

"_Here in lies the tale of a girl who obtained the seven celestial warriors of Suzaku. She obtained omnipotent powers and made her wishes come true. The story itself is an incantation. Those who finish reading it shall receive the power. As soon as the page is turned, the story will become the truth and begin…."_

'Very interesting' Miaka thought. She wasjust about to flip the page but heard a slight cough come from outside the room.

She froze and placed the book down to see who it was, but before she had a chance the page accidentally turned itself and a red light began to engulf the room. Miaka tried to run but she was frozen in place until the warm red light completely engulfed her body, and sent her tumbling through a long tunnel…

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!!" She screamed, but was certain no one had heard it, and then her world went black.

---With Yui----

Yui gasped from her hiding spot and looked to the same place where Miaka had been sitting literally seconds ago. 'What the Hell?'

Yui slowly walked towards the book that Miaka had disappeared into and carefully picked it up, her hands shaking.

"And so the story begins, the Suzako no Miko, fell into the new world.." Yui read aloud. She then grabbed a seat on one of the mattresses outside and began to read again.

---With Miaka---

Miaka slowly felt herself gaining her consciousness back, but to no relief realized she was still falling.

'Shit' I'm doomed.

She looked down below her seeing mountains scattered around her, without a trace of living in sight. That is, until she landed with a painful crash onto something rather lumpy.

"OWWWW!!! Ya Damn broad!! Who the hell do you think you are???!!!"

End of Chapter

Hey guys! Thought I'd leave you on a cliffie…hope you liked it! More to come!! Please review! Gomen!


	3. Meeting With Fire

Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! I had to retype the whole thing because my comp shut down and the recovery thing came up all psychos. Anyways… Without further do lets get started!

--Dancing With Fire—

Recall of last chapter

_She looked down below her seeing mountains scattered around her, without a trace of living in sight. That is, until she landed with a painful crash onto something rather lumpy._

"_OWWWW!!! Ya Damn broad!! Who the hell do you think you are???!!!"_

End of recall

Miaka tried to scramble off of the mysterious person she had landed on but her limbs seemed to refuse to move. She heard the person stand up near by and brush himself out.

"Well are ya gonna apologize or not?"

Miaka looked up, her vision still blurry, and made out a head of fiery red/orange hair.

"Gomen, Demo..where am I?" She asked trying to regain the strength to push herself up.

"Eh, come again?" the voice answered in a man like tone.

"Gomen?" Miaka repeated confused about what she had said wrong.

"Ugh. Women are so stupid, can't even complete a whole sentence that makes sense!" The young man stared down at the girl who was still in a heap upon the ground.

Miaka felt her face burning in anger. What kind of comment was that?? She slowly felt herself regain the strength in her arms and tried to slowly push herself up.

"Where am I?" Miaka asked through gritted teeth.

"No wonder why your such a queer! Yer speakin Japanese! My Japanese ain't all that sharp though, can ya speak Chinese?"

Miaka finally pulled herself in a sitting position and thought about his words. How did he not speak Japanese? Was she not in Japan anymore? She tried to look up at the man who she had landed on. Had he not been there she most likely would have not survived the fall. When she tried to study his face she could still only make out his hair.

"Yoo hooo" the young man waved his hand in front of her dazed face.

"Hey, wait. I bet you came from Old Man Lee's Tavern! It aint proper for a lady to be drunk but I've seen 'em hangin round tha place! I should take ya to Koji! He'd love a lil company." The man chuckled at his last statement and looked back to Miaka.

Her anger began to fume. She was not for 'hire'.

She glared up at him, realizing that she had gained her full eyesight back and that she was staring into two large golden amber orbs. Long fiery bangs hung down low, shadowing parts of his forehead. His mouth formed a frown, but there was no mistake, two fangs poked out from behind his top lip. He stood tall, almost 6 feet to be exact. Miaka's expression changed when she realized what he was wearing.

Draped over him was a large midnight blue cloak. Beneath he wore Arabian looking pants and long, dark boots. Adorned around his neck was a necklace of large multicolored beads.

"Man, Women are horrible drunks!" he began waving his hand in front of her face again.

At this Miaka stood angrily to look him straight in the face. She found however that he was much taller than her, with several inches to spare. Finally with the wind back in her, she began speaking in a fluent Chinese tongue.

"Look, MR, I'm NOT drunk, I'm NOT stupid, and I'm LOST!!!" Her fists clenched at her sides, ready for action.

"Gee, sorry, didn't know ya were pmsing!"

Miaka growled at the man's dirty humor but put it aside, she had to figure out where she was. "Look can you just point me to the nearest taxi or airport system?"

She was replied with a blank and very confused stare.

"Ok ya know what, lets start from block one. What country am I in, what year is it, and where am I?" Miaka looked back up at the tall young man.

"Damn! That was some drink Old Man Lee gave ya! I wanna try one! But if I gotta remind ya; Yer in China, It's 265 BC, and we're far from Mount Reikaku." The young man, who couldn't possibly be older than 17 looked down at her.

Miaka snorted at the boy's poor sense of humor.

"Ok, 'Mr I think I'm in Ancient China', you can stick to your fairytale land and find a lovely prince charming." At these words the angered man, in one swift movement, grabbed and pointed a hand held fan towards her.

"A fan? You're going to fight me with a fan? And you thought I was queer? I'm outta here" With that Miaka turned and began walking away from the man who had accidentally saved her life.

Only seconds after she had begun walking up the hill did she receive the largest shock she had been given since her father had left the family.

"REKKA SHINEN!!!!" A loud yell erupted behind her and huge flames immediately engulfed her and the surrounding trees.

The flames surrounded her body, but surprisingly did not burn her. Miaka felt a warmth coming from inside her body, a powerful kind of heat that seemed to calm her insides. A few seconds later the flames subsided, and the tall tree next to her collapsed, sending ashes raining down on top of her.

The young man looked towards the girl in complete shock. 'How is she not burnt??? It couldn't be…'

Miaka turned to see the man still pointing his fan towards her, its edges spewing out smoke.

"Did you say Ancient China?" The man asked, stowing his fan away in a compartment on his back.

"Yea… but now that there's a fan that shoots out flames I'm starting to rethink that…" Miaka's words trailed off as she continued to look in bewilderment at the older boy.

"What year did ya think it was?" he asked approaching her slowly.

"Possibly 2007 AC…" she blushed looking down at her feet.

"What's yer name?" the man stopped a few feet from her, still confused himself.

"Mi- Miaka" she replied looking back up at the man.

"Well Miaka, I don't usually do this but if ya want, I can take ya with me and hopefully ya can regain some of your memory along the way. If ya don't remember anything by tha time we're at my place though… I don't know what ta do. My guys would have ya pinned down before you could say tha word 'sex'"

Miaka blushed furiously at his remark and shook her head of the thoughts. This had to be a dream, there was no way this was real. She pinched her arm sharply, and it sent waves of pain throughout her body. 'That's pretty real…'

She looked up from her daze only to realize that the young man began walking down the slope of the mountain. He stopped for a second and let out a loud, ear splitting whistle.

Seconds later Miaka felt it. Hoof beats pounded on the ground, approaching the two of them and in sight, came the most unique horse Miaka had ever seen.

Its coat was a stunning shiny black that reflected the hot rays of the sun. Its main and tail however were a breathtaking white, almost so white that it hurt to look at. The only other noticeable mark was a white star on its forehead that if at night, Miaka would have mistaken for a real star. On its back was a large saddle with several bags tied on each end. The horse walked up to the tall man and nudged him playfully in the face.

Miaka watched the scene quietly, letting herself slip into a daze.

"Well, ya gonna come or what?" The young man had already pulled himself on the large saddle and stretched out his hand to hers.

Miaka walked timidly towards the man, unsure of what to do. This was the only place she could go, and he was the only person who could help her. She would have to trust him.

His large hand felt warm against hers as he hoisted her up in the saddle in front of him. She looked for a place to hold onto but the man had already taken the reigns into his own hands. Before she had any chance, the horse lurched forward into a gallop and Miaka lost her balance.

Within a split second, Miaka felt a large muscled arm grab her from behind. He immediately rebalanced her and drew her closer to his body.

"God damn! Women are so stupid! Grab hold of his mane!" The man indicated towards the horse's neck.

Miaka blushed at her clumsiness and ignored his rude comment.

After a few minutes the man broke the silence. "So how'd ya exactly get here?"

"I know this sounds retarded but I saw a big red phoenix, was taken into a red space like place, and then I blacked out! Seriously!" Miaka knew the second she said it he wouldn't believe it.

"Yea, yer right. That does sound retarded." The boy shook his head but couldn't help but think of her answer curiously.

They rode on for about ten more minutes when Miaka realized she had never asked his name. The horse was galloping at an increased pace, making the wind whistle in her ears.

"I never got your name." It felt as if the wind had captured her words and would never reach him, but surprisingly he answered.

"You can call me Genro." He replied, slowing his horse down to an easy canter.

"Well Genro, even though you may be arrogant, and sexist, thank you for this." Miaka was almost anticipating his reply.

"What do you mean ARROGANT?? I aint arrogant! Ya know, I could throw ya off tha damn horse any time I please! And trust me, ya aint want that, with the bandits around here an all." Genro seemed to smirk at this fact but Miaka didn't catch his new expression.

"Bandits? There're bandits here?" Miaka asked curiously, not caring to turn around.

"Yea. Lots of 'em. The best ones are The Bandits of Mount Reikaku!" Genro smirked to himself, knowing that Miaka was not watching him.

Miaka thought over the whole situation. There was a man with strange clothing, she was in China, almost 2300 years before her time, and there was a fan that shot out fire. She definitely wasn't at home. Then again, she probably wasn't even in her own world. Miaka tried hard to think how she had gotten here., and then it came to her.

"THE BOOK!" she exclaimed in the dead silence. Immediately she realized Genro probably thought she was insane.

"Whada ya mean 'A book'?" Genro inquired, startled at her sudden outburst.

Miaka thought about telling him that the book had engulfed her and the legend that it talked about, but he'd probably think of her being even more insane.

"Nothing, just something I was beginning to remember…" her words trailed off.

"I gotta admit, I thought ya were goin even more insane! But hey, if you say yer regaining yer memory, then I guess were ok."

After that, they took the rest of their trip in silence.

---

It wasn't until midnight or so until they stopped for a good nights rest. Genro leaped off the saddle and began untying several bags attached to it.

Miaka realized he wasn't going to help her down so she began to get off on her own. With just one swing of her leg, Genro's head was sent flying back and the shock caused Miaka to completely lose her balance. She landed with a loud "Umph!" only to realize she had landed in the last spot she would've wanted to. Immediately she began to scramble from on top of him, her hands pushing against his solid chest.

"Get off me, ya damn woman!!!" Genro roughly pushed her off and wiped his now bleeding nose.

"I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to!" Miaka was going to continue apologizing until Genro interrupted her.

"What tha hell made ya do that?!" He glared at her and she realized his hand was inches away from the strange fan of his.

"Well gee, I'm sorry, Mr sour ass!" her tone became sarcastic immediately. This guy was so rude!

"Maybe, if you had been a gentleman and helped me off the horse none of this would've happened!"

"Gentleman my ass! I aint helping no lady! Don't expect me to give you any food!" With that, Genro began to clean up the bloody mess.

Miaka, feeling sorry for her actions and words ripped off a piece of her school uniform, walked up to Genro, and began tending to his bleeding nose. He immediately pushed her off and got up.

"I can do it on my own. I don't need any help from you." His words felt like a wolf's bite, they were harsh and continued to sting.

"You're so immature! Grow up! You're acting like you're SCARED of woman!!" Miaka added the last part with a smirk on her face.

The head of flaming hair turned quickly to stare her down. He glared at her for what seemed hours, his fists clenching, ready any moment to grab his tessen. He held in his anger for once however, and turned back to his duties.

"I'm setting up camp, there's a spring not to far from here if ya wanna wash up. If ya want food though ya gotta be quick." With that, Genro turned and began unloading his tiny tent.

Miaka still part angry, and part amused at her unanswered comeback headed for the spring. She definitely needed to wash up. The long day's travel in the sun had caused her to sweat more than she ever had in her life.

Within a five minute walk, Miaka came upon a quiet spring in the middle of an opening in the forest. The pale moon reflected off the warm water's surface, giving it a soothing affect. Remembering Genro's words, and her unbearably empty stomach, Miaka quickly undressed herself and stepped into the tepid water. It felt good to finally clean herself, and rid her body of the mixed feeling of whether she was in a dream or not. If she could feel water, it was definitely NOT a dream.

'What have I gotten myself into?' Miaka pondered on the whole situation. 'Maybe this was why mother never allows me to look at her books…'

Miaka's thoughtful ponderings soon turned into thoughts of food as her stomach began to grumble unnaturally loud. She leaped out of the water, threw her clothes on and sprinted back to the campsite.

----

Genro began to prepare the meal of rice and boiled vegetables while he waited for Miaka to come back to the campsite.

'Damn that girl sure is weird, but why do I have this odd feeling that I need to bring her with me? She's a horrible traveler, and that god damn sharp tongue don't help any either…'

His thoughts trailed off when he heard Miaka running towards the fire he had built easily with his tessen. His eyes widened however when he realized she was sprinting at full speed towards the trap he had set up for robbers. Immediately her ankle came in contact with the hidden rope tied between two trees.

"EEEK!!" she squealed ready for the rough impact of the ground. She closed her eyes tightly shut unable to watch the ground race towards her. Suddenly her face hit…a cushion?? She opened her eyes only to find she was looking up at two golden orbs. Somehow, in a split second, he had caught her, only just before she had hit the ground.

"Thank you…How…How'd you get here so fast?" she asked standing up and smoothing her skirt.

"I'm jus quick, thas all." He replied, turning back to the food he was preparing.

"Oh.." she didn't know what to think of it but she immediately forgot it when her eyes caught sight of the food he was cooking. Her mouth began to salivate at the smell of the fresh vegetables and spices he had added to the rice.

"Here. Eat quick so we can get some rest, we got another long day aheada us" Genro handed her wooden bowl with the steaming food glistening inside.

"MMM, 'ank 'ou!" Miaka smiled with a mouthful of rice the second after he had handed it to her.

Genro grabbed his bowl and began to eat when he realized that Miaka was almost done.

"Damn. Ya sure don't eat like a woman." He almost chuckled at the thought, she was definitely a strange one.

Soon after they were done eating, Genro let out the fire and unrolled the blankets inside the tent. For some odd but convenient reason, he had packed two pillows for this trip.

Miaka peeked in to check up on him and realized he had two sleeping bags already laid out, each with a comfortable pillow. At least in ancient China they had sleeping bags, just not with zippers.

"You sleep in that one" Genro pointed to the sleeping bag to the right as he began to crawl into his own. "And don't even THINK of moving closer to me. Keep to your side." Genro drew a line between the two sleeping bags and then rested his head on the pillow.

"Immature…" Miaka growled.

"I HEARD THAT" Genro responded, his body still lying comfortably on the ground.

Miaka sighed, it was no use. Slowly she got into her own sleeping bag and let her head fall comfortably into a sack of soft feathers. She stared up at the top of the tent, aware of the fact that she wasn't very sleepy. For about ten minutes she continued to stare and think; think of how unbelievably odd her whole day had begun, starting with the fact that she had been engulfed into a book and fallen from the sky. She had also landed quite conveniently on a young man, with a magical fan. At that thought, Miaka turned to look at Genro.

His back was turned to her, and his body was stiff. 'He must have instantly passed out.'

'He may have saved my life and given me food and a nice bed, but he's so rude…' her thoughts trailed off, but within minutes her eyelids began to get heavy. With one last look at Genro, Miaka closed her sleep and gave into a peaceful slumber.

----

Genro lay quiet, aware of Miaka still awake behind him. He could swear she was staring at him, but he didn't feel like turning back to check. She was definitely strange, but for some odd reason he believed her stories; of how she had fallen from the sky and seen a big red phoenix. And if it was all true, she was exactly what he needed for his plan.

Little did she know what he had planned for her….

----End of chapter----

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated for a while. Softball started up again so things are once again crazy. Anyways, hoped ya like it. PLEASE REVIEW!!!! (?


	4. Red Faces

Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing! More would be nice, but I'm gonna keep going since school and softball starts up again soon… meaning I'll be incredibly busy.. So yea…anyways… I won't keep ya guys waiting. Here's chap 3!!

Thanks KittyLynne for all your support! 

Dancing With Fire

Bright rays of sunlight poured into the tiny tent, landing softly on Miaka's face. The air was ripe, with a hint of fresh grass and dew. Outside the tent, the sounds and songs of nearby birds echoed through the forest.

Miaka slowly stirred from her sleep, and her eyes fluttered open. Shielding her eyes from the sun, Miaka looked around. Immediately she panicked. Where was her mother's mattress??? Where was the apartment?? And why was she sleeping on… the ground?

It then snapped to her, the unusually odd day she had gone through the previously. And then she remembered the strange man with a fan that shot out flames. At the sudden thought Miaka turned to look at Genro.

His body was tangled in all different directions, as if it were trying to direct traffic at a major intersection. One leg was bent and propped against his side of the tent. The other was oddly placed upon Miaka's own legs. His torso was curved towards Miaka in a position that looked horribly uncomfortable. Genro's face was only a foot away from hers, and his mouth was half open, exposing his two fangs.

Miaka's eyes then fell upon his hands, which made her explode in anger and embarrassment.

"GET OFF OF MEEEEE!!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Genro bolted from his sleep and searched immediately for the commotion. His eyes fell upon the red faced Miaka with a huge scowl on her face. When he looked down at his hands he realized EXACTLY what was going on.

One hand was conveniently situated in her hair, the other cupping her right breast.

Genro could feel his face turn numerous shades of red as he jumped out of bed.

"I...I…I didn't mean to! I swear!" It was the only thing he could possibly think of. Never in his life had he grabbed a sensual part of a woman's body.

"Yea, sure ya didn't. So much for not crossing your line! Anyways, just WHAT exactly did you do to me when I was asleep?" Miaka crossed her arms, expecting a quick answer from him.

Genro's face, if possible, turned an even darker shade of red at the thought. "I didn't do anything! I'm just a restless sleeper thas all! Besides I hate women. Why would I purposely molest ya? I got better things on my mind." Genro stuck his nose up and walked out of the tiny tent.

What he said comforted Miaka a little. At least he wasn't really out to molest her or take advantage of what she had to offer. She found it curious however, why he had taken her along so easily. Shaking her head, Miaka walked outside of the tent to follow him.

By the time she had already walked out, he was pulling out breakfast. Out of a bag, he poured out food that looked quite similar to granola. He took a handful and stuffed a large portion into his mouth. Miaka couldn't but help smile at how furiously he was chewing, and how red his face still was. _'Poor guy'_

"May I have some?" her voice cut through the awkward silence as she held out her hands. The embarrassed man contemplated hard on whether to give in. He stared at her hands and then her thin body. Letting out a long sigh he poured her a large handful of granola.

"Arig… uh, thank you" she kept forgetting that he wasn't too sharp in Japanese.

He shot her a puzzled look at her word choice but decided to let it go. As he finished up his portion of granola he began to walk back to the tent and pack their belongings. It couldn't have been later than 6:30 am, but he didn't want to travel much in the heat of the day, even if they were traveling in the forest.

He had taken the dangerous route throughout the woods to avoid the excruciating heat of the summer sun. He was better off than most people however, on behalf of his tessen and extreme quickness. Other than his 'group of guys' and Koji, no one knew about his unusual tendency to withhold more powers than the normal human being.

When everything was packed to his horse Chaos and the water supply was refilled they were ready to start off again.

"Alright, let's get goin" Genro hopped onto Chaos and held his hand out once again for Miaka. Like the day before, she timidly reached for his hand and allowed him to swiftly help her up on the horse.

"Ya sure ya got a hold this time?" he joked, allowing her time to grab the horse's mane.

"Yup" she grabbed a handful of thick, long hair and waited for Genro to start the journey.

As the horse walked at a quick pace through the heart of the forest, Miaka couldn't help but think of how lush and green the forest around her was. At home, the trees became buildings, and the dirt paths became paved roads. The change of atmosphere seemed to soothe her insides and give her a fresh insight on the world she was in.

"So Miaka, how old are ya?" Genro broke the silence, which surprised Miaka. Usually he never asked many questions, and many times it seemed he was annoyed by her bringing up a short conversation.

"I'm 15, and you?"

"I'm 17, bout ta turn 18 though" In his voice, it seemed evident that he was proud to be turning 18.

"Don't cha have a husband or sumthin to watch over ya?" he asked it matter of factly and didn't care to turn around and look at her.

"Are you kidding!!?? Married at 15?? That's pretty much child molesting right there!" Miaka's eyes were wide from shock, surprised that he would ask such a thing.

Her mention of molesting made Genro's cheeks once again blush a deep rouge but he shook the thoughts of that morning's incidents.

"Well, most girls round here get married somewhere between 14 and 16, so why not?" he turned slightly to catch a glimpse of her in his peripheral vision.

"Well, where I'm from, the average marital age is 23, so I most definitely do NOT have a husband, nor do I want one. Men are backstabbing pigs." She turned her head away from his glare, crossing her arms. Images of her recent father swarmed through her head. Since his betrayal she had veered away from many of the boys she knew. She was going to ask Genro why he himself wasn't married but didn't bother, knowing he would tell her the same thing as always; that he hated women.

"HEY! I am NOT a pig! And I aint a back stabbin asshole either! Me 'n tha guys are completely loyal!" Genro tapped the sides of the horse lightly and Chaos began to start a slow canter.

They traveled the rest of the day with few exchanges of words. At points, Miaka wished he weren't so sexist, just so she could normally talk to someone. She bit her tongue however, afraid of his angry comebacks. It wasn't like she needed him anyways. She was used to being silent and alone at home. The silence with him however, felt horrible.

When they stopped for a quick break to wash up mid day by a spring, Genro jumped down immediately. This time, however, he offered Miaka his hand. As he did so, the sleeve of his right arm slid up, revealing a huge bandage on his forearm.

"What happened to your arm?" Miaka hoped small talk would relieve the horrible silence.

"Got bit by a wolf tha day before I met ya. Its real deep so I don't expect it ta be healed anytime soon." He quickly covered the bandage back up with his sleeve and headed towards the stream.

"Can I see it? I might be able to help it heal faster" Miaka remembered several medical tricks she had learned in her human anatomy class.

"Look, I aint need yer help. I'm managin myself just fine. I don't need anyone takin care of me. 'Specially not a woman. " He turned from her, walking alone to the spring.

"You've got some nerve you sexist pig!" she stamped after him towards the spring. She raised a fist but found it to be no use.

Genro turned around sharply facing her, and gave her his full attention. He roughly grabbed her wrist, squeezing it to the point where she thought it might break. Miaka, shocked had no clue what to do. Her continued to squeeze her wrist, sending tears to her eyes.

His voice suddenly turned to a much lower tone, and his accent subsided, his words crisp. "I am not a pig. If you continue to mock me, there will be consequences." His eyes narrowed, catching her brown ones in a glance.

Suddenly, when he realized that the fifteen year old girl in front of him was crying, he immediately let go. His eyes softened and his lips formed a mix of a pout and a shocked expression. Genro took a few steps back, unsure of what to do. Instead of saying something he turned his back and continued to the spring.

Miaka watched him leave her, without a word, hurt by the fact that he didn't care at all. This was exactly why she hated men. She walked back to Chaos, holding her swollen wrist. The horse nudged her playfully, hoping for a nose rub. Miaka took her healthy hand and stroked the stallion gently between the eyes and all the way down to its smooth nose. The horse neighed in gratitude.

"How can you stand him Chaos?" she buried her face in his mane, and rubbed her cheek against the soft hair of his neck. She withdrew and stared the horse in the eyes. It seemed to have a twinkle in its eyes, as if it understood something that she didn't.

Miaka waited for Genro's return, watching as her wrist began to swell even more. Something had to be out of place, she just couldn't decide what

When he returned, his head was downcast as he kicked up dirt along the way. He walked up to Miaka, and without a word lifted her gently onto the saddle before he even got on. He felt horrible for his actions, wishing that second that he could take them back, but it was too late. Never had he cared when women cried, but this girl was so much different. He thought of the possibility that it was because of who she was, or who she didn't know she was, but it still seemed farfetched. He still hated women; it wouldn't change.

---

Later that night, after the most awkward ride, Genro began once again setting up camp. When he dismounted off of Chaos he stretched out his hand to Miaka but this time she didn't take it. When he looked at her right wrist he felt a pang of guilt shoot through him. Her wrist was twice the size it had been earlier that day.

Without allowing him to touch her, Miaka dismounted on her own, stumbling slightly because of her inability to use her right hand. She then sat quietly on the ground as Genro began to prepare that night's camp.

He couldn't take it any longer. Whether he hated women or not, he needed someone to talk to.

"Miaka, I'm…." He couldn't say it. It just wouldn't come out.

"Don't even bother" she retorted. Her face fell to the ground, ignoring the pleading look on his face.

Genro knew he was about to do something he had never done before, and hopefully never would do again, but he knew it was for the best. He reached into one of his large saddle bags and pulled out some herbs and medical wrapping.

He walked to where Miaka was sitting, kneeled down and gently took hold of her swollen wrist.

Miaka watched in awe as he carefully applied the herbs and wrapped her wrist. His touch was as gentle as a baby's. It was completely opposite from the touch he had used earlier. His hands were nearly twice the size of hers and warm as well. And even though she hated to admit it to herself, his touch sent shivers down her spine.

After her wrist had been completely wrapped Genro looked up at her face.

"I'm sorry…" it came out as a mere whisper, but it made all the difference. Miaka's spirits rose slightly, relieved that he had at least apologized.

Genro stood up, and unloaded the food for that night. "There's a hot spring a lil off to yer right. It'll be good fer washin if ya need it." It was all he could manage to say for the time being.

Miaka slowly got up and proceeded to the spring he told her of, relieved for a time to finally clean herself. It wasn't long before she caught sight of the hot spring in front of her. It was the size of a lap pool, and steam rose in wisps above its surface. She quickly undressed herself and stepped into the steaming water, careful as to not get her injured hand wet.

She took advantage of the warm water, sinking her head below the surface. She longed to wash it with shampoo and conditioner, but she doubted they had anything of the sort with them. Miaka waded around the spring for a while enjoying its soothing heat and making sure the dirt cakes were washed off of her body. The minutes passed by quickly and she lost track of time. Suddenly Miaka caught a whiff of something wonderful in the air. Her eyes lit up and she began to wade back to the side of the spring where she had left her clothes.

Just as Miaka was halfway out of the spring, her top half revealed, leaves and twigs crunched on the ground nearby. She froze, unsure of what animal it could possibly be. And to her disappointment it was no animal, literally speaking, perhaps not figuratively though.

Genro came into sight of the spring, wondering why Miaka had been taking so long. When he turned the bend and came into the opening of where the spring was situated, he came face to face with the topless Miaka, half out of the water. Immediately he regretted coming, and his face turned maroon.

"HENTAIIIII!!!!!!!" she screamed, covering her bare breasts with her arms.

"Waiiit, I know that! It's Japanese! It means….OHHHH. SHIT! I'm… I'm sorry! I just thought that ya got lost 'er somthin! Ya took three times as long as tha last time!" His excuse however, did not seem to run through her head.

Genro ran back to the camp as if it were his life in stake. _'Damn it! That's tha second time today! She's really gonna hate me now! This really aint my day…'_

Miaka, fumed, but more embarrassed than anything, quickly grabbed her clothing and redressed herself. That was the second time in one day that he had gotten himself in a situation with her boobs, and Miaka was nowhere near impressed. Until this day, no man had ever seen her topless. Before her father had betrayed her and when Miaka had actually planned on getting married, she had dreamed that her true love would eventually see her like this. Now however, she hated men, and Genro was FAR from being a true love.

She collected her cool by taking long deep breaths, and when she thought she was ready face him again she walked back towards the camp sight. She knew this was not an easy task for either of them. For crying out loud! He had just seen her completely exposed!

When Miaka came upon the camp grounds, Genro was eating quietly and he stared straight at the ground. Even with the fire in front of his face, it was evident how hard he was blushing. Miaka then realized that it really had all been an accident. If he had really been spying, would he have been this embarrassed?

She grabbed a bowl of rice and vegetables that he had already poured her and sat across from him on the other side of the fire. She took the chopsticks and began to grab for a bite of food but pain immediately surged through her wrist. She stared solemnly at her swollen limb and then took the chopsticks in her left hand. She tried with all her might to grab something but it was no use. Trying to eat with her left hand was like eating blindly.

Genro, looked up to see her suffering as she dropped piece after piece of food back into the bowl. He immediately got up and grabbed his saddle bags, rummaging around for a more useful utensil.

"Here" in his hand was an old handcrafted spoon.

Miaka took it gratefully and found it much easier to eat with the foreign tool. Within a few minutes, she had already finished her meal before Genro.

Genro gaped at the tiny girl as she set down her bowl.

"Damn. How can ya eat that fast?" He hoped something could take her mind off of what had recently happened. The incident went unspoken in order to save themselves from an awkward conversation.

"Dunno. I just love food, that's all. My mother used to bake for me all the time until… well until she stopped" at her last phrase Miaka's head dropped low and she kicked a rock aside.

Genro caught her immediate change of emotions, wondering what could have possibly stopped her mother from cooking. Obviously something hurtful… He decided to leave it alone.

"Do you have a mother and a father Genro?" Miaka looked up, her face more calm than it had been a second ago.

"Nah, my dad left us when we were all lil. 'N My moms hadda take care of me n my three sisters which meant I kinda got last priority. I lived with all women until I joined… I mean went out on my own." Genro bit his tongue, hoping she didn't catch the near slip of his bandit life.

Miaka caught it immediately. "Joined what?" she asked curiously.

'_Damnit. She's sharp'_ Genro thought quickly for an excuse.

"Joined tha rest of men old enough ta travel on their own." He hoped that would suffice for a good answer.

"Oh…" Miaka knew this was probably a touchy subject, but she decided to ask it anyways. "Genro, why do you hate women?"

Genro froze. _'That girl has some nerve…' _ It was no use getting angry. Telling her wasn't going to make him like women again.

"My moms n my sis' never treated me all that great I guess. My sisters used ta pick on me when I was 5 or so. They blamed everythin on me too. Moms used to abuse me lots fer that. I got sick of how manipulatin n scheming they were, so I left as soon as I turned 15." As soon as he said it he wished he hadn't. It sounded emotional, and he definitely wasn't one for emotions.

"Oh… I'm sorry" Miaka truly felt bad for him. His father had betrayed his family just as hers has. His mother however, was nowhere as kinda as hers had been. It almost made her feel lucky even in her situation.

"Don't be. There aint nottin ta be sorry bout. It jus' happened that way." Genro finished his food and began cleaning up that night's supper. Miaka watched as he set up the same tent as the night before.

When he washed the fire out with water, the forest surrounding them turned an eerie black. Miaka focused her eyes hard to see the trees in front of her. Even though it was incredibly warm, an eerie chill ran down her spine. For some reason, this campsite did not feel as safe as it had been the night before. She shrugged off her fear however, and followed Genro into the tent.

A sleeping bag and pillow had already been laid out for her. This time, Genro had not drawn a line. He was already lying in bed, staring up at the roof of the tent. Miaka scrambled into the sleeping bag and brought it snugly to her neck. Within minutes, she had easily fallen asleep.

--------

BOOM! Commotion stirred all around them. Genro shot out of the tent. Chaos began bucking wildly, neighing dangerously into a dark part of the forest. Any normal person would have taken it to be caused by an animal but Genro knew better. He ran straight back into the tent.

"MIAKA!!! GET UP!! WE GOTTA GO! WE'RE IN DANGER! COMMON!!!" He yelled directly in her ear, shaking her firmly.

Miaka woke up immediately, and the first thing she saw was the panic in his eyes.

End of Chapter 3!

Hey Guys! Hope ya liked this one! Left you on a cliffy.. lol sorry, thought it would be fun. My next chapter should hopefully be up within the next couple of days. PLEASE REVIEW!!! 


	5. The Violent Geisha

Hey Minna! Sorry for the long wait… softball season just ended and college apps are getting stressful too. Buutttt I decided to write anyways…cause I could … Hope you enjoy this next chap! REVIEW please!!!

--Dancing With Fire—

Chapter Four: 'The Violent Geisha'

-Recap-

BOOM! Commotion stirred all around them. Genro shot out of the tent. Chaos began bucking wildly, neighing dangerously into a dark part of the forest. Any normal person would have taken it to be caused by an animal, but Genro knew better. He ran straight back into the tent.

"MIAKA!!! GET UP!! WE GOTTA GO! WE'RE IN DANGER! COMMON!!!" He yelled directly in her ear, shaking her firmly.

Miaka woke up immediately, and the first thing she saw was the panic in his eyes.

--End of Recap--

"Wha..?"

"Don't ask! Jus' get up! LETS GO!!" Genro extended his arm and pulled her out of bed before she had a chance to do so herself.

Terror began to gnaw at her insides and she swore she could feel her heartbeat shake the ground beneath her tiny feet.

Genro yanked her outside the tent, grabbed his fan, and raced to retrieve Chaos. Just as he was untying the horse's rope from the tree, a firm voice sent his movements to a halt.

"Jackpot! Man, did we score big this time, eh Shun'u?" A tall, round, man walked up to Genro and deliberately spat in his face.

Miaka, not thinking of who she was with, clung onto Genro's arm tightly, fearful of what the large man would do. She felt her arms begin to tremble as she took in their surroundings. There had to be 100, if not more, bandits; all of whom were clutching long swords and jagged daggers. Her knees felt weak, but also frozen in place, and if possible her hand began to shake more. Before she realized what was happening, a large hand gripped her tiny one firmly in its grasp, as if to stop the trembling. Too shocked to be disgusted, Miaka found that she could only stare up at him, but his eyes were too preoccupied with something else; and the only hint of life in the two enraged orbs was a tiny flicker of gold.

"Fuck off Koan" Genro growled.

"Your words speak more than your actions Shun'u, or should I say, leader of the Mount Reikaku Bandits…"

Miaka gasped slightly at the mention of those words, her memory reverting back to two days ago.

[_"Bandits? There're bandits here?" Miaka asked curiously, not caring to turn around._

"_Yea. Lots of 'em. The best ones are The Bandits of Mount Reikaku!" _

She felt her heart race at the thought. He had been a bandit all along? Most of all, the LEADER? Had he been plotting to take advantage of her after all?

'_How could I have been so ignorant?'_

Her slight gasp caught the attention of the man, so called 'Koan', and he returned it with a malicious grin.

"Well, well, Shun'u… I thought you had no intention of desiring a woman? Is she that good? Maybe I should try her out for myself…." Koan took a step towards Miaka and started to extend his arm….

Genro immediately stepped in front of Miaka, thwarting Koan roughly with his tessen. His once amber eyes had turned to almost a dark shade of brown as he glared at his adversary. Miaka watched his arms tense up and his hand shake as it gripped the handle of his tessen even harder.

"Go back to Mt. Kaou, and take the rest of your pussies with you."

Koan chuckled at Genro's weak attempt of altering his ego.

"Or what? I'll be toasted for dinner? If anyone's the pussy here it's you; not including your girlfriend there." Koan nodded his head towards Miaka, and she felt her knees buckle underneath his stare. Inside however, she was enraged; enraged that any man would make such a crude comment. Her actions went first, her mind barely even thinking, and she regretted what she was about to do before it even happened.

"To be honest, you'd look much better in a Geisha costume than he would. I wouldn't be surprised if you begged for it either." Each word came loaded with revulsion and sprung off her tongue like ice.

"Interesting, Genro. Not only is she a woman WITH YOU, but she's a woman with a sharp tongue." He took a step towards Miaka, giving her a good eye up and down. His glare felt like slugs crawling every inch of her skin, and afterwards she felt contaminated.

"I could suffice a good punishment for that…" Koan raised his arm and signaled his followers with a simple twitch of his fingers. "Get them."

The simple demand held much power and Miaka held her breath, unsure of where to run. With a quick turn of her head she realized that her partner was already devising a plan.

"Get behind me." It was half of a whisper but Miaka could see the side of his lips forming the three simple words.

As soon as Miaka took a step behind him she felt the earth shake in response to Koan's battle cry. "NOW!!"

Genro's muscle's tensed, sensing their approach, and with one swift movement held his tessen straight out.

"REKKA SHINEN!!!!"

An immense fire exploded out of the tessen and its range shot to the far depths of the forest. Miaka felt it, the same thing she had felt the other day. The fire was not warm on her skin, but yet it was warm inside of her.

When her hopes began to rise about the outcome of the battle, Koan lunged for them, knocking Miaka, Genro, and the tessen flying in complete opposite directions.

The force sent her nearly 15 feet from her original destination and she landed roughly, relying on her hands and arms. Pain seared up through her twisted wrist as an uncomfortable snap let itself ring through the air. Following it, her body tumbled, colliding roughly with the ground. Miaka winced in pain, her eyes shutting, afraid of what possibly could happen next. She wished it would go away with the blink of an eye, but when Miaka opened her eyes again, it was all still there and Genro had already sprang back up to fight off his challengers.

Sweat glistened on his body and soaked his hair, making his thick locks to appear to be a spitfire orange. Miaka found it hard for her eyes to follow his quick paced moves, but none the less, she knew he was winning.

'_There's no way that speed is human…'_

Genro fought furiously, punches sent this way, kicks the other, as he continued to knock Koan's followers one by one. As the next opponent came up, Genro sent a direct punch towards him, however, the young follower easily blocked it. Instead of kicking him off guard, the bandit hesitated for a split second and sent an easily blockable punch towards Genro's midsection.

'_He hesitated…'_ Genro took advantage of the opportunity and knocked out his opponent.

The next bandit stepped up to Genro, sending a weak kick towards his head. Genro blocked it easily and quickly sent a sharp punch along with it. His fist hit his opponent's face dead on, but when the amateur bandit recoiled he hesitated just as his predecessor had.

'_They're waiting for something?'_ Genro took a step back, eyeing his surroundings. He immediately turned to Miaka who was trembling as she tried to push herself up. No one however, was near her, or close to taking her. So why were they hesitating? Then he saw it. Just as he was about to continue fighting, a tiny glimmer caught his eye in a distant tree, and it was pointed straight for Miaka.

"Miaka! Duck!" He ran for her hoping she'd see the weapon, but it was too late, the arrow had already been released. Genro pushed his body at full speed towards the tiny girl's body, without giving his actions a second thought.

Miaka watched in horror as Genro sprint at her in full speed, just as the arrow neared closer to her body. She closed her eyes, knowing there was no way Genro would make it. She waited for the sting, but instead was greeted with an overcoming tackle, sending her and Genro flying back. His body landed roughly on hers, gluing her to the ground.

Miaka, unsure of the outcome, slowly lifted an eyelid, only to find the worst of options had succeeded in fate. Genro grunted as the arrow struck him deeply in his right shoulder. He felt his flesh go numb, and his own blood slowly leak out of the arrow's hole.

"Iie! Genro?" Miaka slowly lifted the man off of her, but in return she only received a grunt of pure pain. Miaka stared at his wound in horror, blood slowly seeped out of him, as did his life.

'_He really was here to protect me… And I doubted his loyalty..._'

Miaka looked up to find that all commotion had come to a stand-still. Koan eyed Genro, his lips curving upwards in contempt. Miaka's insides fumed at the malevolent man and she immediately began planning her next move. There was only one option… and she wasn't even sure it would work. Her eyes darted frantically around her before Koan had the chance to approach her. Almost 10 feet away, the tessen rested on the ground underneath a bush.

Miaka looked up at Koan, who still had his attention on his rival, and she made her move. She lunged for the bush, rolling her body to a stop at the tips of its branches.

When Koan realized what was happening, his eyes widened and he immediately yelled: "GET HER!!!"

His attempt however, was too late. Miaka grabbed hold of the tessen and pushed herself up to face the remaining bandits. To her surprise however, they still approached.

"GET AWAY!!" she screamed, pointing the fan towards her opponents.

"Such a brash move child. You think you can burn me as did Genro? That tessen works for him and ONLY him." Koan approached her, laughing at her foolishness.

Koan's laughter sent incessant chills down her spine at each bellow. Her grip on the fan began to falter, as her hands shook once again. He was now within 10 feet of her wavering body.

"GET AWAY!!" she flicked the fan at him; nothing happened.

Miaka's face went pale, as her only option of survival died out.

Koan laughed even harder. "Now time for you to come with us you little conniving brat."

Miaka, in a flash of survival mode, cut to her senses. She held the fan once again; ready to give it one last try.

'_Please, help me do this!'_

With just those few words Miaka felt the welcoming sensation of an eternal warmth flowing throughout her body. She opened her eyes only to find Koan and his adversaries backing away in disbelief. A slight red glow coated her body, leaving her speechless to the new-found power.

'_What was it that Genro said to get this thing to work? Rekki? No…Rekko…urgh! Wait!_'

"REKKA SHINEN!!!"

Miaka felt the tessen push back at the overload of power, but at the same time a new inferno reached far greater levels than either of Genro's attacks had.

From behind her, Genro had been able to slightly lift one of his eyelids; enough to encounter the phenomenon occurring right in front of him. His eyes widened in disbelief at the power she was creating.

'_How is this possible?_'

Genro then recognized the warm red glow enveloping the girl's body. A translucent red light candy-coated her curves, causing his adrenaline to flow faster than it needed to. His fanatical guesses had been right; now if only he could find a way to sustain his survival.

'_I found you, Suzaku no Miko' _

With this last thought Genro felt a darkness shroud around him, and all of his acute senses faded away, taking the red-glowing miko with them.

By the time the flames subsided, all other life forms had vacated the forest, and each piece of mother nature surrounding Genro and Miaka was coated in a thick sheet of black ashes.

Miaka stood frozen, her eyes staring past what she saw in front of her. What exactly had just happened? Had Genro's fan really been that powerful? Or were her senses drawing in false endeavors? Was it possible for all of this to still be a dream? A quick throb of pain in her wrist told her otherwise…

Shaking out of her dazed situation, Miaka ran to Genro's side praying it wasn't too late. When looking at Genro however, Miaka's hopes began to flutter away. His eyes were closed, his breathing was barely noticeable, and his shoulder had already leaked quite a bit of blood. It had to be poison; a wound like this shouldn't have caused so much pain. Knowing that it was too late to try and suck the remaining poison out of his wound, Miaka went straight to the basics, the only things she knew.

Gently, she grabbed the arrow that situated itself deeply in between the crevice of his scapula and one of his ribs. Tugging tenderly, she began to pull the arrow out of his flesh.

An audible groan erupted from his mouth and his face scrunched in pain. Once the arrow was out however, Miaka heard nothing from him for a long time.

Ripping a long but thin strip of fabric off the bottom of her skirt, Miaka gingerly wrapped his wound, hoping to reduce the blood flow.

Miaka stood up, holding her face in her hands. She still had one major problem. How was she going to get him to a doctor and where would the closest one be? While Genro was a thin man he was also extremely toned, leaving most of his body mass to be made up of dense muscle. There was no way she could carry him, not even ten feet. Her mind raced for ideas, knowing that with each second she took to think Genro's life shortened considerably.

Taking her face out of her hands, she looked around for her last and only hope. Genro's first escape route was gone; Chaos was nowhere to be seen. Had the creature even survived the blast? Miaka then recalled one short moment she had encountered with Genro the other day.

[_She looked up from her daze only to realize that the young man began walking down the slope of the mountain. He stopped for a second and let out a loud, ear splitting whistle._

_Seconds later Miaka felt it. Hoof beats pounded on the ground, approaching the two of them and in sight, appeared the most unique horse Miaka had ever seen._

'_He whistled!' _Miaka immediately brought her hand to her mouth, and to the best of her abilities, let out a deafening whistle.

She realized at least one thing had to go right that night when she heard foreign hoof beats in the distance. While Chaos approached at almost full speed, Miaka felt as if hours were flying by. If she couldn't get Genro to a doctor soon, there was no telling what she would do…

Finally, the slightly shaken horse approached her, and when it caught sight of its limp master, rushed to Genro's side. Chaos nudged Genro lightly in the side but Genro made no reply. The horse let out a heartbreaking neigh and turned its attention to Miaka.

His pure white mane glimmered in the moonlight, appearing almost as if it were made from strings of diamonds.

"Chaos I need your help…" Miaka sent a gesture towards Genro, and then to her injured wrist.

It was as if the stallion was human, because in a matter of seconds it bent down on its knees, allowing Miaka a short distance to lift Genro onto its back. Carefully, but with all of her might, Miaka scooped Genro up, trying her best to avoid contact with his wound. Once she had accomplished getting Genro in the right position, Miaka then hoisted herself upon the horses back behind him.

Allowing Genro to lean back upon her, Miaka took a firm grip on Chaos's mane. There was only one place she could think of that the horse would understand and where she might get the quickest results.

"Chaos, go home" Miaka tightened her grip.

With those three words Chaos felt the urgency of the situation and took off through the forest at an implausible speed.

Gomen, minna that it took me more than three months to get out. Life has been unbelievably busy. I hope to write more once thanksgiving break starts… which is actually this Wednesday. So check up for an update sometime within a week! Hope you guys liked this chapter! Please review!

Usagi Princess


	6. A Race For Time

Hey everyone! Hoped the last chapter was action-packed enough for ya! There's going to be a crap load to come so don't get too relaxed yet. And if anyone's wondering, YES, the other suzako seven will be appearing soon. So without further do, here's the Fifth Chapter for "Dancing With Fire"!

-Chapter 5: A Race For Time-

Knowing that she had reached her destination in half the possible time couldn't have even faltered Miaka's rapidly beating heart. A slight wave of relief rolled over her as she felt Chaos' tense muscles begin to relax underneath her and the unconscious Genro. Just over the next hill she could make out a large cabin-like house. It was big enough to be any ordinary inn. A warm light poured out from each of the windows, making the outside grass a buttery color. A subtle line of smoke curved its way out of the large chimney allowing itself to reach for the limitless sky.

'_This is a bandit hideout?'_

Miaka had been expecting a dreary cave or a run down shack bursting with beer, noise, and commotion. Silence pierced her ears as she approached the large inn. Had Chaos taken her to the wrong place? Miaka wondered if the stallion could feel her heartbeat because it felt as if any second it would burst from her chest…

Miaka searched for any sign of a human around the outskirts of the inn, but no one came to sight. Her fears heightened as Chaos continued to cut through the silent air, and the sign of any bandit remained hopeless.

"SOMEBODY!! HELP!!!" Her throat felt as if it had ripped in order to let out such a yell at that noise level.

The front door to the inn swung open and a tall, lean man walked gallantly towards Miaka. A weight felt lifted off her shoulders as the young man approached her, but when she realized what he was holding she panicked. She should've known it would end up like this. She was at a bandit hideout after all.

The man who walked towards her wore a strange outfit that greatly resembled Genro's attire. Upon his head, thick locks of dark blue hair messily found themselves covering parts of his eyes. To complete his look, he held a large sword in his hand, already aimed at Miaka.

"Who tha hell do ya think ya are? N' why tha hell are ya riding Genro's horse?! This is Mount Reikaku, and you've stepped into bandit territory. Either fuck off or submit ta services!" The young man growled, raising his sword as he approached within 10 feet of Chaos.

Miaka would have immediately blushed at the spoken '_services_' and then shoot an angry retort back at the man, but there were more important matters at hand.

"Wait! I have Genro! He's injured… I don't know what else to do….Please?" Miaka gestured towards the unconscious Genro who leaned heavily against her chest.

The bandit's eyes shot open at the sight of his best friend, he dropped his sword, and ran to the stallion.

"Genro! Common man!" The bandit nudged his leader but received no reply. Without looking up at Miaka, the man grabbed his best friend and carried him quickly into the house.

Left abandoned in the front yard, Miaka and Chaos sat in silence. _'Now what?'_

There was only one way to find out Genro's outcome. Miaka sent Chaos into a trot towards a tree situated at the side of the house. The nerves inside her stomach felt like bugs, continuously climbing up and down her insides. She wasn't sure whether she could follow the young man into the bandit hideout unaccompanied or not. Would she be threatened just as she had entering the yard? Did the rest of the bandits even know she had been with Genro?

Miaka gingerly slid herself off of chaos, trying to avoid putting pressure on her broken wrist. Once on both of her feet, Miaka tied Chaos loosely to the tree and whispered in the horse's ear. "Thank you. I'll be back soon."

Chaos nudged her lightly in the direction of the house in reply. He wanted to know about his owner's health. With this as her only ounce of encouragement, Miaka turned on her heels and slowly began walking towards the hideout. She tried her best to swallow her anticipation but it felt like a horse-sized pill was glued to the back of her throat.

She stood in front of the door, and listened for any possible sign of life. The hideout immediately became a scene for mayhem as she heard several men demand questions of the young man who had greeted her.

Just before she raised her good hand to knock, her memory began to recall unwanted and disconcerting thoughts.

"_Well Miaka, I don't usually do this but if ya want, I can take ya with me and hopefully ya can regain some of your memory along the way. If ya don't remember anything by tha time we're at my place though… I don't know what ta do. My guys would have ya pinned down before you could say tha word 'sex'"_

The words 'pinned down' and 'sex' repeated over and over again in her head. Miaka gulped. Should she knock?

Before even given a chance to bite back her nerves, the door in front of her flew open violently.

A gruff man stepped out and quickly eyed her up and down. His body wavered as he gripped onto his beer mug as if his life counted on it. Out from underneath his two-sizes-too-small shirt, a hairy stomach poked its way in between Miaka and its owner.

Disgusted, Miaka looked passed him, hoping to catch a glance of the dark haired man, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Well, well, looky who we got here!" His words were greatly slurred and if Miaka hadn't watched him spit she would've been convinced that it was raining.

"I need to see Genro! Is he ok?" Miaka bit her lip, inching herself closer to the door.

"Are you the one who did this to our leader? A measly little girl eh?" The drunken bandit took another copious swig at his drink.

"I didn't hurt him! He hurt himself by saving my life. Now can you please let me in? Or do I have to spell it out for you?" Miaka felt her temper rise; this drunk bastard was testing her patience and quite frankly, she wasn't in the mood.

"Ooh, this one's got a tongue on her! Hmm, I'll letcha in but remember, we only pay 10 oz. of gold per night!" The large bandit stepped out of her way gesturing his hand to the rest of the aroused bandits waiting nearby. Did they even realize what was going on?

Miaka ignored his perverted comments and fled past him, searching for the blue haired bandit and the unconscious Genro. Drunken bandits approached her greedily as she frantically looked around. Making her good hand to use, Miaka roughly pushed aside the aggravating men and carried herself towards the back of the main hall.

When there was still no sight of the dark haired man Miaka began to panic. After looking left and right down the hall, there was no sight of Genro, only vacant rooms. She was about to turn back, bring up the courage, and ask a drunk bandit where Genro had been taken, but before she turned she caught sight of a stairwell to her right. Choosing curiosity over another horny man, Miaka turned and walked up the dark stairwell.

Hushed whispers could be heard down the long corridor as soon as Miaka reached the top of the stairs. Only one door spilled light through its cracks, the one farthest down the hall. Tiptoeing towards the lone room at the end of the hall, she tried her best to hone in on what was being said.

"…don't know if this herb will work…it's the strongest I have."

"Are you telling me there's nothing you can do for him?!"

She recognized that voice as none other than the bandit who had threatened her outside.

"The wound is deeper than most herbs heal…who knows how much poison has already gotten into his blood stream…"

"God damn Genro, you always gotta be tha stubborn one…" Miaka heard a large fist hit solid wood.

"This is all I can do for now. I'll be back in an hour to check up on him…"

Hearing footsteps headed her way, Miaka scrambled to run back downstairs, but in a split second her foot caught a loose floor board and she fell roughly on her butt. Just as she pushed herself up to attempt a second escape she came face to face with an old, weathered man.

Even though he was aged, he carried around an intelligent air about him. In his hand he held a large sack, assumed to be filled with many medical tools. His white beard could have challenged Chaos' in a brightness contest and was tied elegantly in a gold thread. Raising an eyebrow at Miaka he cleared his throat, signaling for the dark haired bandit to come have a look at the intruder.

Miaka began to take a step back but when she came face to face with the disheartened bandit she stopped dead in her tracks.

"I'll be going now…." The doctor bowed towards the tall bandit and began walking down the hall.

Looking down at her battered school shoes, Miaka didn't dare look up. A sharp tug on the arm told her she didn't need to. The young man yanked her inside of the room, shut the door, and grabbed her neck.

In one swift moment he had her pinned up against the wall, his grip tightening on her throat. Immediately she began to panic. Kicking her legs wildly she wiggled her body in order to escape his grip. This however, only made him more irate.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO GENRO?!?!"

Her eyes flew open and she found herself staring into the depths of deep emerald eyes. They held no hatred for her, yet they were filled with anger and fear.

Miaka opened her mouth to speak but her vocal chords failed to produce any sound audible in numerous frequencies. The lack of air caused her eyes to water and her vision to go blurry. The best she could do now was groan. Hearing her attempt to answer, the man loosened his grip and took a step back. Without any possible strength left, Miaka's legs collapsed beneath her. Leaning against the wall, she managed to savor a few large intakes of air.

'_How exactly am I supposed to explain that I FELL FROM THE SKY? Let alone that I technically am not supposed to be born for another couple thousand years. Or better yet, that I could possibly exist in a different world. Great… '_

Miaka stole a glance at Genro, lying impossibly still in a large, cushioned bed. His once fiery red hair was caked in dirt, and the usual smirk on his face was replaced with a soft pout. The only evidence for his survival was his slow, ragged breaths that triggered the fall and rise of his body.

BAM!! Miaka jumped at the sudden crash and looked up. The bandit had punched a hole in the wall, leaving several large cracks extending a couple feet away.

"Someone paid good money for that, you know." She knew it was the wrong thing to say, but the only thing she had ever known to do in an awkward situation like this was to blurt out a sarcastic remark.

"Spare tha shit fer later. Tell me NOW!"

Miaka looked up into the distressed bandit's emerald eyes. They were no longer angry, but yet they danced in a sense of nervousness.

"Genro and I met in the mountains… He told me he would help me find my way home, but when we were in the forest we got attacked by bandits. I think the leader's name was Koan…When he was fighting them someone tried to kill me with an arrow but Genro blocked it from hitting me…."

Miaka looked up at the bandit for his approval. His previous frown however, had now turned into a look of outrage.

"I wouldn't buy that shit in a million years. Genro wudda never helped any woman. To him, yer not even worth horse shit. Start over again."

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. All of you bandits are just the same; stubborn and dim-witted."

"Try me"

"Ok, fine. I was reading a book and then suddenly I started falling from the sky. I happened to land on Genro. To be honest, he saved my life, whether he wants to admit that or not. I told him that I came from Japan, 2007 AD, but apparently I'm in ancient China. Sooo, he told me he would take me with him until I remembered what really happened. That's when we traveled through the forest and were attacked by Koan…"

Miaka almost laughed to herself. She wondered how hard he would grab her neck this time. Looking up at the man however made changed her mind completely.

"Now thas credible. I see why he took ya with him." The man bit his lip and stared out the window across the room. It was getting darker by the second, and soon black would become nature's favorite color.

"You're kidding….anyways why would he take me over all the other girls?" Miaka began to slowly bring her self to her feet, allowing her a better talking range with the bandit.

He eyed her up and down conspicuously, his eyes catching site of her strange clothing.

"There might be something you can do for him…"

Miaka perked up at the sound of his words, eager to repay Genro back for what he had done for her.

"I don't have all day…" she tapped her foot glared the man in the eyes, challenging his confident ego and the long silence he stretched between them.

"They say a miracle proficient doctor lives a couple towns away. He's been rumored ta heal tha crippled, tha blind, and tha sick. It's 'bout an eight hour ride to tha town itself, and there's no sayin tha man'll be there…"

"Let me find him. I can take Chaos. There's no way I can just sit here and let Genro suffer." Miaka began making her way to the door slowly.

"There're two problems." The bandit lifted his face to see her. "One, tha information is a rumor, we don even know if it's true. Second, he stopped practicin a while ago, people said he jus' gave up. But you might be the only person who will be able to get him to start again…."

"What do you mean by that? I'm not even important in this world!" Miaka grabbed for the door handle and began to let herself out; nothing was stopping her now.

The man shook his head in reply. _'So he hasn't told her yet…'_

"Head east through tha mountain passage until ya get to a town named Fujian. It'll be easy ta tell cause its got a river flowin right through tha middle. Tha guy's name, I think, is Mitsukake."

"Thanks….ummm" Miaka bit her lip. She still didn't know this guy's name!

"Kouji"

"Thank you, Kouji."

"No problem. Now get goin.. err"

"Miaka"

"Yea"

With that last word, Miaka darted back down the hallway and skipped several steps on her way down the long flight of stairs. Ignoring the crude, sexual comments she ran straight for the door and out to the tree.

Miaka skidded to a halt when she realized Chaos was no longer tied to the tree. Not one trace of him was left for her to follow a trail.

"Ugh…I don't have time for this!" Miaka looked around frantically for the dark horse, wondering how he had been untied. The only thing she could find however was a large horse barn in the back of the yard. Taking her only chance, she hurried to its bulky doors, using all of her strength to open them.

A gust of warm air hit her face as she walked through the doorway. She peeked into each stall she passed by with little luck as she walked down the rows. It wasn't until the very end of the barn that she found what she was looking for.

Chaos stood comfortably in his stall with a large blanket covering his midsection. He looked content with an empty bucket of oats beneath of him. When the horse caught sight of her his ears perked up and he whinnied for her to come closer.

"There you are! I hate to do this to you but we gotta go again. Genro's still in trouble. Think you can help me boy?"

Chaos replied by nudging his nose against the door latch in front of her.

Within a few minutes, Miaka had gathered a generous supply of oats, blankets, a pillow, ropes, water and food for herself, and a knife; just in case. Finally mounting on Chaos, she looked ahead remembering where the sun had set and turned the horse in the opposite direction. Her heart began to beat rapidly once again as she sent Chaos into a quick canter. Once again, she was in a race for time.

::Hey minna! Sorry that took so long, didn't expect finals to be that rough…But now that its winter break I feel amazing. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I would love reviews! How about some for a X-mas or Hanukah gift? Lol. Happy Holidays Minna!::


	7. Spectators in the Fog

1Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait! Ap exams and finals were a bitch! But now that I know where I'm going to college and that I have no more homework, I'm at ease!  congrats to anyone else who graduated high school this year! So without furtherdo, here is the next chapter of "Dancing With Fire."

--Chapter 7: Spectators In the Fog--

Chaos's hoof beats became a mere echo within her head as she continued to squint down the dark, narrow pathway. She doubted she could continue like this for much longer once she got to the valley between the mountains. By a sense of judgment Miaka guessed it had to be around 1 am and from the look at Chaos' face she knew she would have to stop soon. The thought of stopping made her heart race faster than it could handle. One extra minute she spent resting meant an extra minute closer to Genro's death; something she was unwilling to believe.

After another 30 minutes of galloping aimlessly in the dark, Miaka gave Chaos' reins a tug and slid off the exhausted horse.

Giving Chaos a generous nose rub she also went into her travel sack and handed him an apple to munch on. He took it graciously and bit into its sweet core, devouring the piece of a fruit within seconds. Miaka then led him to a tree where she proceeded to tie him loosely.

Taking her turn for a break from the strenuous night, Miaka found a comfortable tree to lean against as she waited for dawn to approach. She doubted she'd be able to sleep, but resting her heavily bruised body would definitely be an option. Slowly, she closed her heavy lids, praying that by some miracle she could get some shuteye.

Apparently the praying had paid off, because a couple of hours later Miaka found herself being stirred slowly out of rough sleep. Expecting to have to face bright rays from the rising sun, Miaka was shocked to find that she would have to adjust to mere darkness. As her brain quickly registered that she couldn't have been asleep for more than 2 hours, she realized the reason she stirred had been because of Chaos.

The once complacent horse now whinnied and bucked wildly into the air. Miaka looked frantically around for the reason Chaos was so rampant but it appeared that the stallion was bucking into thin air.

Trembling, she stood up slowly concentrating hard on the area on which Chaos was reacting to. An eerie, thick fog embraced the still air as it seeped slowly into the open forest path. It brought along a damp coolness that sent shivers along her spine. Miaka's first impulse was to move towards the stallion but as she took her first step she heard a threatening "whoosh" skim the microscopic hairs of her ear. Immediately her knees buckled and her mouth went dry. Chaos's frantic panic attack seemed to become noisier but all Miaka could do was stare into the darkness of the night, her feet glued securely to the ground. Finally realizing that running might be a good idea, she turned quickly and caught her ankle on a loose tree root. A tangible snap rang into her ears and a searing pain shot up her right leg. Her legs gave way, and she stumbled painfully to the ground.

Without warning, a heavy black cloak brushed against her back. Miaka screamed, or so she thought. When no sound came out of her throat she began to panic more and rely on her arms. As she went to lift herself back up however, she found that her body was completely stiff and no longer under her own control.

A slight cackle of a laugh sounded off somewhere behind her. "Byakko no miko, you die"

She closed her eyes, willing herself to realize that it was all a bad dream. When warm hands grabbed her, she screamed a loud, audible shriek. Behind closed lids Miaka felt a soothing light pulse around her body and the clammy fog receded from her figure. Her body untensed and once again was under her control.

"That was close, you know?"

Miaka spun around to the foreign voice. A tall lean man stood before her, wearing a blue shawl around his shoulders. His face was pulled into a stiff smile and a soft ponytail of sky-blue hair rested loosely on his shoulder.

"Get away" Miaka crawled backwards towards the now silent Chaos. Her voice trembled at each syllable.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, ya know? That sorcerer almost killed you!" The odd stranger pointed to a limp form on the ground right behind Miaka's shaking form. A large, hardened man lay motionless next to her with a black cloak adorning his body. His face was tangled into an unthinkable expression, sending waves of nausea to sweep through Miaka's body.

"That arrow was poisonous, ya know?" the man pointed to a silver tipped arrow that snuggly fit itself into a large oak tree directly behind her. Now she understood what that "whoosh " past her ear had been.

Unsure of how to take this new stranger, Miaka began to lift herself up. How was she sure if he had saved her? As she stood up to runaway, a particular pain shot through her right leg once again causing her to collapse on the ground.

The strange man walked slowly up to her in a more subtle way than before but Miaka still crawled away. "Don't come any closer!" Her eyes darted around her in search of some kind of weapon.

"I'm gonna help you to your horse, ya know? See? No arrows or swords." The man lifted the blue cloak from his shoulders, giving Miaka a complete visual of how unarmed he was.

"Why's a girl like you traveling through these woods anyways?" the man inquired as he began to slowly pick her sore body off the ground.

"Why's an unarmed man like you traveling through these woods?" Miaka did not feel the need to make time for a lengthy story.

"Weapons aren't the only way to defend yourself, ya know?" the stranger ignored her rude comeback. He placed her lightly on Chaos, giving her the same stiff smile he had give her since they met.

"Where are you headed to?" The stranger took note of her anxiousness to continue riding.

"Fujian. I've gotta find a doctor named Mitsukake. My fr-… a guy I know is seriously injured." Miaka turned Chaos and pointed his nose to the direction she had been headed earlier.

"You're not too far, ya know? I think I might know where to find this doctor. You want some company?" The stranger tipped his odd pointed hat towards Miaka and took a quaint bow.

'_Honestly, who bows? How do I know I can trust him? He did save my life…..'_

"Sure…So, um, what's your name anyways?" Miaka offered him a seat in the saddle behind her.

"I'm Chichiri no da! What about you?" Chichiri pulled himself closer to her in the saddle in order to get a good grip.

"I'm Miaka, Miaka Yuuki." Miaka blushed at the closeness of the stranger behind her but urgently tried to push it out of her head. "Thanks for getting that guy by the way."

"It's no problem, ya know? Now let's get going!" Without Miaka's consent, Chichiri gave Chaos a slight nudge on his sides and the horse once again began to canter towards their destination. His warm hands engulfed hers as he too held onto the reins, sending a warning sign to go off in Miaka's head.

'_Calm down Miaka' _she told herself_. 'Besides, he's got to hold on somewhere. There's more important matters at hand anyways.' _

It was then that Miaka realized that she didn't even know how Chichiri had killed her assassin in the first place. What had that warm light been? It felt vaguely familiar….

"Hey, Chichiri?" Miaka called behind her.

"Hai, Miaka?"

"What did that man mean when he called me 'Byakko no Miko'?" Miaka gripped her hands on the reins, there was no time to be wasting on questions.

"I don't know, ya know? That Miko hasn't been seen in over 60 years" Chichiri's voice faded off into the air as if he were thinking hard about the subject.

'_THAT Miko?' _Miaka pondered to herself. Were there more priestesses that were supposed to be assassinated? Why had she been mistaken for one? Miaka shook her head; right now she needed to focus on retrieving Mitsukake. The nagging thought of being assassinated, however, crept around the dark corners of her mind.

'_She's definitely not Byakko no Miko, but the resemblance is pretty remarkable….That strange clothing, I wonder…'_ Chichiri closed his eyes and fixated on Miaka's aura. It was not one of a tiger. Somewhere hidden there was a slight trace of love.

Within three hours and the rising of the sun the two travelers finally approached a small town in which a clear stream ran through. Miaka's eyes lit up as soon as she saw it. The town was just as Koji had described it.

"We're here, ya know?" Chichiri slowly climbed off of Chaos, giving the horse half the work.

"Where does Mitsukake live?" Miaka looked frantically through the busy street of merchants, buyers, and makers.

"I'm not sure ya know? I just know he lives separate from the villagers." Chichiri looked around for a break off in the busy parts of the village of Fujian.

From on top of Chaos Miaka caught sight of a woman about to pass them. "Excuse me miss, do you know a Mitsukake?"

The weathered woman looked up to Miaka with questionable eyes. "I've never heard of such a name."

"Is there a doctor in this village?" Miaka bit her lip in frustration.

"Well we've got a fairly new one just down the river across from the market. You're looking for a special doctor aren't you?" The old woman studied Miaka's face hard.

"H-how'd you know?" Miaka sent a hopeful look over to Chichiri.

"No foreigners come to our village solely looking for our new doctor. If your looking for the 'Miracle Healer' he's out of business I'm afraid." The old woman answered with a slight frown on her face.

"But this is an emergency, if he doesn't help us someone will die!" Miaka pleaded the woman.

The lady let out a begrudged sigh and turned to a deserted path down the other end of the river. "It's rumored that he lives down that path some ways…. But I can't be sure…" the lady glanced back up at Miaka "Don't tell him I told you though…"

"Thank you!" Miaka called back to the woman as she immediately started out for the deserted path in front of her. Chichiri followed her quickly on foot.

Once they had gone down the path a ways the large trees began to increase in number and the leaves sifted out a great deal of the sun's rays. Chaos's hoof beats seemed to be lighter and quieter as the darkness continued to approach. The eerie silence slowly began to tug at Miaka's insides. She looked down at Chichiri who seemed to be focusing strongly on another matter.

"Chichiri?" Miaka asked, her voice splitting the thick silence.

"Hm?" Chichiri's focus broke and he looked up at Miaka with the same face as ever.

"How do you know about Mitsukake?" She turned her head towards the path as her sense of danger continued to increase.

"Rumor gets around, ya know?" Chichiri gave Chaos a quick pat on the neck. Once doing so however he came to an abrupt halt and roughly grabbed Chaos' reins.

The quick stop sent Miaka into Chaos' neck and she fought to keep her balance.

"Chichiri, wha-?" her sentence was cut off midsentence when Chichiri cupped his hand over her mouth. Miaka shot him a questionable look but he only pressed his finger to his lips in reply. Miaka looked ahead of them, trying to find why Chichiri had stopped so suddenly. She was about to blurt out he was inane when she saw nothing wrong but she cut herself short when she noticed something horribly familiar.

_Fog._

The thought of another assassin made the hairs on her neck stand straight out and she tightened her grip on Chaos' reins. How Chaos was so calm was a mystery to her. A clanking of metal rang through the eerie silence as Chichiri placed his scepter in front of them.

'_What can that 'rod' possibly do?'_ Miaka continued to watch for the oncoming danger but everything continued to stay silent.

Chichiri then took his right hand with his fingers pressed together and held it in front of his face. He then mumbled something inaudible. Within a split second four black cloaks fell from tree branches above them.

Miaka gasped and clung tightly to Chaos. Assassins, all whom looked identical to the one who had tried to kill her a few hours ago, now surrounded them.

"Stay close, ya know?" Chichiri held the metal pole in front of him and once again mumbled, this time audible. To Miaka, it sounded like an ancient Chinese language. After listening to him speak what sounded like a chant, she noticed that a translucent red dome surrounded them.

'_What in the world is going on…'_ Miaka looked skeptically over at Chichiri who was busy analyzing their approaching opponents.

Within a split second, one of the assassins launched himself towards them, his sword raised above his head. Miaka dug her face into Chaos' mane, trying to block out the noise of the assassin's battle cry and of the stallion's incessant whinnies. She couldn't bare to watch the poor man in front of her die from the single swing of a sword.

"Miaka! Keep the horse calm, you know!" Chichiri yelled back at her, proving her dead man theory wrong. She looked up just in time to see the single assassin be blown away from a large quantity of red light. Horrorstruck, Miaka watched as yet another two assassins approached them.

'_This power…it's so similar to Genro's magical fan…'_ This thought caused Miaka to snap back to reality. The reason they were fighting here was for Genro and if she didn't contribute he might as well be as good as dead. The look on his face right after he had taken the arrow for her flashed through her head.

Almost as if she had been on pms, Miaka went from petrified to enraged. These six assassins were not going to stop her from saving Genro's life, even if he was an insufferable jerk. She tumbled off of Chaos, ignoring the immediate pan in her right ankle.

"Miaka! Stay back! My shield can only protect so far!" Chichiri gritted his teeth and sent 3 assassins colliding into trees with another surge of bright red light, knocking all of them unconscious. Beads of sweat coated his face, and his robes were already tattered from the vigorous fighting.

'_I feel so helpless. He's suffering on my own account'_ Miaka limped up towards Chichiri, watching as the two remaining assassins approached them. Her fists clenched at her sides making her nails come close to drawing blood from her palms. On pure impulse, Miaka ran forward, leaving the premises of Chichiri's shield, and rammed her body into one of the assassins as if she were a bull that had just seen an entire robe of red.

"Miaka! No!"

Her body crashed down, along with the very surprised assassin's. When she went to grab the hooded figure's neck however she grabbed a handful of dirt where the assassin had been a split second ago. As she turned to look where he had disappeared she felt an arm enclose around her neck and pick her up to face Chichiri.

"Iie! Let go of me you damn bastard!" Miaka yelled in reply to him tightening his arm around her neck. Slowly, she felt her airway begin to contract.

Chichiri watched in dismay and his shield disappeared from the lack of remaining energy. The last assassin took his opportunity to attack the truly 'unarmed' man. Chichiri dodged the attack, but because his focus was elsewhere the hooded man grabbed him from behind in attempt to break his back.

"Chichiri!" Miaka struggled in the man's grasp fighting his grip with mere survival moves. Her survival moves proved helpless however when she found that he only gripped her neck harder. Gradually she felt her vision become blurry and the edges of her sight go black. Her lungs screamed and burned for air but the more she struggled the tighter the assassin gripped her neck.

'_Genro, I couldn't….'_ Before Miaka was able to finish her thought she felt the man lurch sickeningly behind her followed by the noise of him chocking on a liquid. Promptly, the hooded man collapsed, twitching on the ground. At the same time she heard Chichiri emit another surge of power, enabling him to escape his assassin's grip.

Miaka turned to look at what had caused the man's sudden death and found herself face to face with a HUGE, dark, outline of a man. As her eyes traveled down to his hand and caught sight of a large knife drenched in fresh blood, Miaka noticed that her eyesight was continuing fade away. She looked up once more to see the large, darkened, shadow, but before she could study his face she felt a surge of dizzy spells swarm her head and her entire world went black.

The last thing she sensed were a pair of warm, comforting, arms catching her fall.

Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed that. I should have plenty of time to whip up another chapter before this Friday so keep posted! Please review!


	8. To Live For Someone

Hey everyone! Like I said I'd update again soon. Don't you just love summer? Anyways I hope you liked the last chapter. This one should explain most of what happened in the last. I'm not that great with writing this random stuff in the beginning so without hesitation, here is chapter 7! And if I need to remind anyone… I don't own Fushigi Yuugi!

Recap of Chapter 6:

'_Miaka turned to look at what had caused the man's sudden death and found herself face to face with a HUGE, dark, outline of a man. As her eyes traveled down to his hand and caught sight of a large knife drenched in fresh blood, Miaka noticed that her eyesight was continuing fade away. She looked up once more to see the large, darkened, shadow, but before she could study his face she felt a surge of dizzy spells swarm her head and her entire world went black._

_The last thing she sensed were a pair of warm, comforting, arms catching her fall.'_

--Chapter 7: To Live for Someone--

"Miaka no da! Wake up!" Chichiri shook the fragile girl that had gone limp in his arms more than five minutes ago.

"Common Miaka, we've got to hurry no da!" Chichiri tried yelling louder, hoping that the noise might stir the girl into consciousness again.

-o0o-

Voices echoed loudly in her head as she maneuvered herself through a sea of darkness. _'Where the hell am I?'_ Miaka waved the black fog away from her eyes, hoping to finally be able to see something but she was greeted with another wave of it.

"Miaka!" the voice echoed louder this time.

Miaka recognized the high-pitched voice and frantically looked around. "Chichiri? Where are you?!"

When she went to look in the other direction a cold, wet sensation washed over her body and the black fog began to disperse. She felt water begin to fill her mouth and acted quickly on impulse; she coughed and spit it right back up.

Slowly she opened her eyes to find where the water had come from but jolted up when she realized she could see again. Looming over her was a concerned, and very wet Chichiri. She wondered how he had gotten wet all of the sudden but answered herself when she realized how she had gotten rid of the water in her mouth a few moments ago. A cherry red blush swept across her cheeks as she slowly began to sit up.

"Gomen Chichiri!" she apologized profusely. "I didn't mean to!"

"It's ok, ya know?" Chichiri waved a metal bucket of water in front of her. "I was trying to wake you. Daijoubu?"

"Hai. I think." She answered, messaging her swollen throat. Miaka recoiled, remembering everything that had just happened to her and her fellow traveler. What about the mysterious shadow-man? Had he been the one to save her? She glanced around looking for the large dark shadow she had seen moments before passing out. Her eyes found their target when they met with the large and no longer darkened figure of a man standing behind Chichiri's knelt over form.

"Who-who is that?" Miaka asked cautiously to Chichiri as she pointed to the intimidating man behind them.

"I'm just a bystander who happened to have a knife." A monotone voice replied to her question.

Miaka observed the strange man behind her as Chichiri lent her his hand, gently pulling her to one foot. Gnarly black hair covered most of his hardened face. His jawbone had a strong setting but the messy stubble hid most of it. He wore dirty, tattered rags that hung loosely on his built figure. In addition to that he wore a separate cloth as a bandana around his forehead.

"I-uh-thank you. You were the one to save me right?" Miaka asked curiously even though most of the evidence she had seen pointed right to the answer.

"If you call it that then sure. I was just trying to get rid of the commotion in my forest. You have no business here anymore; now would be a good time to leave." The tall man sent the two a warning glance, turned, and walked back into the depths of the forest. Both Miaka and Chichiri stood there, dumbfounded at the man's aloofness. Miaka watched as he began to disappear from her sight, getting smaller and smaller. Was he the one they were looking for? Could he know where Mitsukake was? If he did, then she was letting go of the only option to Genro's health.

"Matte!" she yelled after the man, hobbling as fast as she could in the direction he had disappeared. The pain in her right ankle sent her crashing towards the ground, only to find herself situated in Chihiri's arms once again.

"Arigatou, Chichiri" She sent him a grateful look and he returned it with an understanding one.

"No problem, ya know?" He picked her up, carrying her frail body in his arms. Miaka was naive to this extreme kindness. She had just met him yet he was already willingly able to protect her in any means possible. Even though she knew she shouldn't be so easily trusting, she felt completely safe in his arms, a feeling she had craved for quite some time. In addition to this, she realized she knew nothing about him; especially the odd power of his. Watching him use it always made her re-think whether she was dreaming or not.

Within a couple seconds she found herself already situated on Chaos' back once again. Chichiri climbed on behind her, taking hold of the stallion's reins. "Yah!" He let out a startling shout, causing Chaos to react just how he had expected; to start galloping after the mysterious man.

It didn't take them long to reach the end of the path which led straight to a small cottage on the edge of the forest. By the looks of it the house had not been taken care of in several years. Several shingles seemed to be missing from the already bent-in roof. The shutters to the four windows were either hanging loosely on one hinge or not there at all. Kudzu grew ominously over every single one of the walls, as if trying to swallow the tiny house.

"Chihiri, are you sure we went the right way?" Miaka asked, believing it impossible that anyone could possibly be living in the tiny shack of a house.

"I don't know. Let's go check it out, you know?" Chichiri hopped gracefully off of Chaos' large body and extended his arms out to Miaka. She grasped his shoulders as he lifted her from under her arms, resting her tenderly on the ground beside him. "You can lean on me, you know." Chichiri ducked his head, allowing her to swing her arm around his neck for support.

Miaka blushed furiously at all the attention he was giving her. Why couldn't men in her own time be as much of a gentleman as Chichiri was? "Arigatou." It was a weak reply, almost mumbled but it was still audible enough for Chichiri.

The two cautiously approached the seemingly abandoned cottage with all their senses attentive for any oncoming enemies. As they approached the door, which was slightly cracked open, Miaka noticed that it was completely pitch black in exception to a single hint of light coming from the depths of the house. Slowly Chichiri lengthened his scepter in order to creak the door open for their entrance. Miaka gulped down any sense of fear she had, trying her best to regain her composure.

When Chichiri sensed no evil aura inside he motioned to her with his hand, beckoning her to follow him. Slowly she hobbled a couple steps inside to be greeted by a thick, cool, dampness.

"I warned you the first time, get the hell out of my forest. I won't say it again." Both Miaka and Chichiri jumped at the sudden break of silence coming from the farthest corner of the house. It was the same deep voice that the large man they had met earlier had used; only this time with a darker tone that sent shivers down Miaka's spine.

Suddenly a large source of light illuminated the room, giving the three people a perfect view of what was happening. Chichiri raised the metal pole high in the air so that light reached every part of the tiny house.

Miaka finally caught sight of the man sulking in the corner, yet she had not prepared herself for what she would see next to him.

She let a small gasp when she watched the man stroke his large hand gingerly over a motionless body in the bed next to his chair. The woman lying in the bed could not have been more picturesque. She had long, honey colored hair that draped elegantly across the bed. Even with her heavily lashed eyes closed Miaka could sense their roundedness. Only one thing looked somewhat odd about the gorgeous woman lying on the bed. Her skin was porcelain white, as if she had been painted like a delicate china doll. That's when Miaka realized one important factor; the woman was not breathing.

'_What in the world?'_ Miaka was speechless, unsure of the scene before her.

"Um, gomen, sir, but is…." Miaka began to weakly mumble out only to be cut short.

"My name is Myoujuan. Not Mitsukake. He left several months ago. Now, before I have to force you by violence, please leave." The man looked up to Miaka with cold, emotionless eyes for only a few seconds and then reverted his gaze back to the deceased woman.

"H-Hai" Miaka responded turning to leave. Chichiri stopped her short however, sensing that there was something they were missing.

"Where did he go?" Chichiri asked politely.

"He left his soul with his wife" the man replied, clenching his fists into tight balls.

Miaka suddenly became very intrigued by the strangers words. At first she wasn't sure what he meant but then she realized the hidden meaning behind his expression. Thank god for all the poem interpretation she had been doing in school lately!

Miaka slowly took a small limping step towards the stranger sitting beside the bed. It all made sense now as she watched him graze his palm against the lifeless woman's cheek and stare at her with a painful amount of angst.

"And what of his powers?" Miaka asked boldly as she watched Myoujuan's reactions vigilantly.

Myoujuan sent her an insufferable glare and his fists began to dangerously shake. "They died when he could not cure the one he loved."

Miaka took a deep breath knowing full well that Chichiri would most likely scold her at what she was about to do, but for some reason it just seemed right. Slowly she limped up towards the bed, still leaving some space between her and Myoujuan. She observed the beautiful woman who lay before her. Immediately Miaka felt the atmosphere change to one of the utmost peace.

"Your wife; she looks very peaceful…What if it wasn't your fault?" Miaka purposely avoided his glare, unsure of how he would take her bold words.

Unexpectedly she heard the crash of a large wooden object; maybe a chair? Immediately following she felt a large muscled arm grab her from behind and press a cold slick metal against her throat. Miaka realized it to be none other than a knife when she felt the sharp edge press perilously across the soft skin of her neck, threatening to cut it open.

"Miaka!" Chichiri ran towards her, his scepter ready at hand. He was cut short however when Myoujuan took a step back protectively. "Make one move and she dies, monk."

Chichiri's thoughts raced as he thought of a spell to temporarily freeze the large man's body.

"You don't know what it's like to live for only one person and watch them live miserably and yet you can't do anything for them. Even so I couldn't cure her." Myoujuan growled in Miaka's ear, annunciating each and every syllable.

Miaka suddenly heard Chichiri's quiet mumbling of a spell. Wasn't there another way?

"Chichiri, stop." Miaka then directed her voice to Myoujuan. "I do. My father left my mother and I when I was very young, taking all of our money with him. My mother had to quickly find a job in order to support what little we had. Many nights we went without food. Everyday, I watched her walk miserably into the house, physically and emotionally fatigued. I told myself that I would be the best at everything and then maybe she wouldn't be so miserable. But even after being the top student in school she didn't change. Even now I see her and it seems that slowly she is losing her life. I would much rather watch my mother die peacefully than live lifelessly and miserably." Miaka choked on the tears that had sprung in her eyes several sentences ago.

Chichiri watched in astonishment as Myoujuan's knife hand began to tremble. His face was no longer one of rage, yet it was one of shock and realization.

"I could have stopped it, I could have saved the one person I lived for." He mumbled more softly this time.

"Everyone has their time set for them. As for the rest of us we have to keep fighting for others. Other people that need us or people that we care about. I have finally found someone who needs my help; actually mainly yours. If I can't bring you back to him I will have lost the fight for his life." Miaka took a deep breath, putting her revealing words behind her. "Please help me, and live for someone again. I know you're a caring person, otherwise you would have killed me several minutes ago; Mitsukake"

Miaka felt the arm and knife gripping at her throat begin to tremble and loosen. The clanking of the knife hitting the floor echoed throughout the tiny house. A long silence filled the cottage. Mitsukake wordlessly looked back at his wife softly taking her hand in his. "For you." he whispered to her.

He turned back to Miaka, his eyes glazed over with a thin layer of water. "I'll help you"

Immediately, the atmosphere of the room changed from one of grief to one of hope and excitement. Without even thinking, Miaka lunged herself at Mitsukake's large form, embracing as much of his body as she could. "Arigatou! Arigatou!"

"I don't mean to break the moment but if your friend is as hurt as you say he is Miaka, we need to hurry back, you know?" Chichiri now stood in front of the two, no longer in a tensed position as he had been only minutes ago.

"He's not my fr-…agh forget it lets just go." Miaka began to painfully hobble towards the door of the house.

"It looks like I've got more than one person to heal." Mitsukake observed as he watched the girl attempt to get to the door.

"Matte!" Chichiri yelled after her. "I only knocked those assassins unconscious earlier which means they'll be waiting for us on the way back. Go through here; it'll take you right to him." Chichiri waved his pointed farmers hat at her.

"Go through where?" Miaka looked to see where he had pointed with his hat. How could any one escape route take them straight to Genro?

"My hat, no da!" Chichiri held it in front of her so she could see its bottomless depths.

"You're out of your mind. A fan that shoots out fire is one thing. But now a hat that transports? Besides, what am I going to do with Chaos?" Miaka, irritated, motioned to the direction in which they had tied the stallion up.

"I'll meet you there in a couple of hours with him. Trust me on this, no da! You and Mitsukake go through here. I can take care of the assassins." Chichiri walked closer to Miaka holding his large hat in front of her body.

"Chichiri…" Miaka bit her lip in frustration. If Chichiri was wounded on the way back she would never forgive herself. He did seem to have quite the advantage over everyone else though. How would he know where to find her?

"Go to Mount Reikaku and look for the bandit hideout." She flashed Chichiri a smile.

Without giving her a chance to revoke the idea, Mitsukake carefully picked her up in his arms and dove into the pitch-black depths of the hat.

-o0o-

"AHHH!" Miaka screamed as they slowly descended, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Miaka, I think we're here." Mitsukake nudged her, willing her to open her eyes.

As soon as she opened her eyes she was met with two unhappy emerald ones.

"Where tha hell did ya come from?! And who tha fuck is this?" Kouji roared.

Mitsukake gently placed Miaka back on the ground in order for her to talk to the ill-tempered man. "Kouji, this is Mitsukake."

"Wha-how did you, but, aw damnit screw tha questions. Please, just heal tha damn man. He's startin ta scare me." Kouji lifted his hand toward the motionless man in the bed across the room.

Miaka gasped at the sight. Sweat poured down Genro's ashen face. His lips were left half open as if he could not keep them shut on his own. The evidence of his breathing was much more subtle than it had been when she had left. Unnoticed to her, her feet had already found themselves at the side of Genro's bed, Mitsukake hot on her heels.

He quietly observed the deathly ill man lying before him. "Poison." He murmured. "He's barely even got a pulse." Mitsukake held two fingers against Genro's throat.

"Can you help him?" Miaka grit her teeth, ready for an unfortunate blow. That devastating blow however, never came.

"Hai, I can." Mitsukake replied as he knelt down and began to hold out his left hand.

Miaka watched as his hand began to glow a warm red light. A Chinese symbol flashed on his left palm, glowing an intense crimson color. The light began to leave his hand and engulf Genro's body. The air around the four became still as Mitsukake extended his healing powers towards the fire-headed bandit. Within a few seconds the light began to fade and Mitsukake dropped his arm, exhausted.

Miaka took in a sharp breath._ 'That power looked like Chichiri's…'_

"I can only heal once a day so I wont be able to fix your wrist or ankle until tomorrow" Mitsukake turned to Miaka, hoping she could sleep through the pain later that night.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Is he ok?" Miaka motioned back towards the man who had taken an arrow for her.

"He should wake soon" Mitsukake stood up and began walking towards the door of the room.

"Matte!" Miaka called after him. "Where will you go now?"

"Wherever you go. For now you are someone I can live for. I'm just going to go find some medical wrap for you." Mitsukake sent her a weak smile, which Miaka immediately returned.

"I never thought I'd be sayin' this but, thank you." Kouji turned to Miaka, relieved that his friend was no longer playing with the edge of death.

"Mitsukake's the one you should thank!" Miaka answered pointedly.

"Oh, don' worry. I will. Tha guy's already my hero" Kouji then walked towards the door but stopped just outside its frame.

"HEY! Can I get a spare mattress over here? We got a extra guest here tonight! Pronto!" Kouji cupped his hands around his mouth, only making his loud voice louder.

"For Mitsukake?" Miaka asked curiously.

"Are ya kiddin me? That guy's gonna get his own room! Your stayin' in here 'cause it's tha only room that tha others can't come near! If I gave ya your own room you'd have more than enough unwanted visitors for tha night. Unless ya prefer that?" Kouji raised his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"Hentai!! Ugh, is there another place I can't be harmed that isn't in the same room as HIM?" Miaka peeved, pointed to the unconscious Genro.

"Nope! Ya slept near him before anyways, what's tha difference?" Kouji smirked, knowing his question would only boil her blood more.

Miaka scowled, her eyes sending daggers towards Kouji. She felt her patience growing thin, but her energy to stay awake even thinner. It was then that she realized she hadn't slept more than three hours in the past two days. Sleep seemed more enticing than an argument with a bandit that was twice her size.

As soon as she completed that thought, a very bulky bandit entered the room carrying a mattress, blankets, and a pillow. A sense of relief flooded Miaka as she watched the bed come her way.

"Jus' put it there" Kouji pointed to a large space directly next to Genro's own bed. Once the bed was set up, Kouji and the other bandit left. "Sleep well ya two!" Kouji called after him.

Miaka would have normally fumed at his words but instead of worrying herself with the trouble, collapsed onto the surprisingly soft mattress. Just as she was about to put herself under the blankets a knock sounded at the door.

"Miaka?" Mitsukake walked in with an armful of medical supplies he had received from the local doctor.

"Mitsukake! You really don't have to, I'll be fine." Miaka tried to wave him off.

"It will help you sleep better" Mitsukake replied as he knelt in front of her, gently grabbing her twisted ankle.

Pain once again shot up her leg but she forced the feeling to the back of her head. "Did you really mean what you said earlier?" she asked.

"You're the first person who has given me even the smallest measure of hope, and for that I am grateful." Mitsukake slowly began to wrap her ankle, pressing a small amount of herbs into the bandage. Once done with her ankle he then tended to her throbbing wrist, giving it the same treatment.

"Tomorrow you won't need these." he stated matter-of-factly, standing up.

"Arigatou" A felling of warmth passed through Miaka.

When Mitsukake left the room he closed the door, leaving it completely dark in exception to a few glimmers of the moon shining through the window. Miaka sighed as she knelt once more next to Genro's bed.

His face was now clear of sweat and his skin had returned to its normal bronze color. Mitsukake's power had definitely done its job. Just as she was about to turn back to her own mattress, a large, warm, hand weakly grabbed hers.

Miaka gasped looking back to the now conscious Genro. Two golden eyes peaked out of narrow slits as he glanced weakly at her. "Odango atama?" he mumbled feebly out of his mouth. His eyes closed once again and he released her hand, falling back to sleep.

"Insufferable jerk. Honestly, odango atama?" Miaka fumed to herself as she turned back to her mattress and covered herself in warm blankets. She continued to mumble curses at him for a few seconds until her voice faded away and her body succumbed to sleep.

-o0o-

Genro slowly began to stir from his sleep, rubbing his face with calloused hands. His body felt very light and airy as he positioned himself on his side.

'_It's too early ta be awake.'_ he thought subconsciously, noticing that it was still dark outside.

As he turned his body towards the side of the bed he caught sight of something a few feet below him on the floor.

'_What in tha-?'_ He gazed at Miaka's still form, lying peacefully on a tiny mattress. Her hair flowed gracefully in every direction. Her face was calm but weathered as if it had been through a lot in the last couple days. He was about to return to his undisturbed sleep when he spotted her heavily bruised neck. His eyes then ventured down to her heavily wrapped wrist and ankle.

'_When had that happened?'_

"OI!!" his scream could not only be heard by the exhausted girl below him but also by the entire building of bandits.

-o0o-

For those of you who may not know some of the Japanese words I used in this chapter here is a glossary:

Hai: yes

Daijoubu?: Are you ok?

Gomen: Sorry

Matte: Wait

Arigatou: Thank you

Hentai: Pervert

Odango atama: Dumpling head

Hey everyone! (cracks knuckles). This would be the longest chapter I've typed so far. I hope you liked this one! I'm super excited for the next two chapters cause of what's going to happen (possibly one of my favorite parts). REVIEWS PLEASE!!


	9. Deal or No Deal

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, I've been killed with college work n shiznit. I probably took on a few more hours than I should have but o well... I'm so excited for the next couple chapters! Trust me, you guys will like them. Anyways don't forget to read and review! (Btw: I have an A in Japanese!!)

Recap of Chapter 7

-o0o-

_As he turned his body towards the side of the bed he caught sight of something a few feet below him on the floor._

'_What in tha-?' He gazed at Miaka's still form, lying peacefully on a tiny mattress. Her hair flowed gracefully in every direction. Her face was calm but weathered as if it had been through a lot in the last couple days. He was about to return to his undisturbed sleep when he spotted her heavily bruised neck. His eyes then ventured down to her heavily wrapped wrist and ankle. _

'_When had that happened?'_

"_OI!!" his scream could not only be heard by the exhausted girl below him but also by the entire building of bandits._

-o0o-

Chapter 8: Deal or No Deal?

Miaka jerked upwards, straining her painful muscles. What was going on? Was she under attack again? She looked upwards to find the source of the noise, only to come across two wide-open golden orbs glaring, horrorstruck, at her body. His fiery bangs fell in cascades around his hardened face.

"Looks like sleeping beauty's finally awake" Miaka huffed.

"What's that s'pposed ta mean?" Genro's voice was raspy from the lack of use in the past couple days.

"It means your finally awake smart ass. Now can you kindly let me get my sleep since you rudely interrupted it?" Miaka rolled on her side, turning her back to him.

"Damn, are ya sure that ya aren't tha devil's mistress or sumtin cause tha Miaka I knew wasn't such a bitch." Genro growled towards the sleep-deprived girl below him.

Miaka took in a deep breath. He did have a point; her lack of sleep made her shockingly abnormal. Giving in, she rolled back over to face him.

"Gomen, I just haven't gotten any sleep in the past three days." She couldn't believe she was actually apologizing to him.

" Wha-What happened to ya Miaka?" Genro glanced over her wounds again, trying to remember what had happened to them last.

"I was attacked by a giant bunny." Miaka smirked, flashing her wrapped wrist in front of him. "Don't you remember what happened?" Miaka tried not to look in his disconcerting eyes. Since when had he cared?

"I'm not sure…"Genro's words trailed off as he massaged his throbbing temples. It hurt enough just trying to remember how he had met the girl in front of him. They had been traveling in the woods and camping together. Why would he even camp, let alone sleep next to a girl? He then regained glimpses of the reaction she had had to his tessen; how his fire had not burned her. He could see her fuming face, rising out of a pond somewhere. The thought of his recent intrusion brought a warm blush across his cheeks. He then found Koan's face carved into every part of his brain. Lastly, he saw himself, flinging his body in front of hers, blocking what seemed to have been a deadly arrow; then all went black.

"He hurt ya, didn't he?" Genro asked, with recognition of his last thoughts. He glanced over his body, searching for the arrow wound. Slowly, he unraveled the medical wrapping around his midsection, being careful as to not disturb his deep wound.

Miaka felt a warm sensation flow over her neck and cheeks as she watched the whole ordeal in front of her. Did he not care that he was undressing himself in front of a woman? Maybe this would be calling it even, since he had already seen half of her exposed, however, she did think he was getting the upper hand of the deal.

'_Should I let him find out on his own?'_ Miaka watched as Genro continued to look for his non-existent wound. She was surprised to find that he was in much better shape than she had given him credit for. Considering how much booze she had seen around this place Miaka expected to him to have somewhat of a beer belly. Thoroughly defined abs shouted a big 'NO' to that theory.

"What tha hell? Am I goin' insane? " Genro continuously poked his side where his arrow wound should have been.

A soft giggle brought his attention back to the girl below him. "What's yer problem huh?"

"Nothing. I guess it would be nice of me to mention that you've been healed, ne?" Miaka turned to the door where somewhere down the hall Mitsukake would hopefully be sleeping.

"Oh really? I don' know 'bout yer intelligence but I sure as hell know that there ain't no cure ta poisonous arrows." Genro shook his head swiftly, trying to reassemble all of his jumbled thoughts. What was really going on here?

"Well then, I guess it's safe to assume my intelligence is higher than yours since I found a man who could cure you." Miaka smirked to herself, smug that she had won an argument for once.

Genro growled at the girls dirty tactics. True to her word he was healed, but how was it possible that anyone could heal a highly poisonous wound? He remembered a rumor Koji had once told him about a miracle proficient doctor but the fact that it came out of Koji's mouth was enough to believe its falsity.

"Who healed me?" he finally asked, dying to figure out his unsolved mystery.

Miaka's face lit up at the mention of this so-called doctor. "Mitsukake, no da!"

"No da? What kind of a phrase is that?" Genro wrinkled his nose in disapproval.

Miaka stifled a giggle to herself. Chichiri must have really rubbed off on her. The sudden thought of the blue-haired monk brought about a nervous twisting feeling in her stomach. She could only hope that he and Chaos were safe on their way back to the bandit hideout. "Oh! A guy named Chichiri who saved my life had a habit of saying that. He was the one who lead me towards Mitsukake too."

"Saved yer life? How? By bringing ya more food?" Genro raised the tip of his nose to the imitation of a pig. In no more than a few split seconds he found a pillow mashed up against his face.

"Insufferable jerk…" Miaka mumbled to herself as she turned her back towards him.

"I could kick ya outta here ya know. Who said I was gonna grant tha favor of hospitality huh?" Genro handed her back the pillow she had plastered onto his face.

"Well, I think your present action just answered that for you." Miaka smirked, waving the pillow he had just given back to her in front of his face.

"Aw, damnit. Fine. Back on topic. What happened to ya?" Genro leaned forward, pointing towards her ankle, her wrist, and then stopping at her neck. His fingertips were within touching distance and when he realized this Genro pulled his hand back.

Miaka paused, watching his hand, shocked that he would come that close. So close to the point that she could feel his body heat radiating from his fingertips. "I, I was attacked by assassins." She murmured, staring down at the floor. It was a fact that she hated to admit mainly because it showed how weak and vulnerable she was on her own. Her whole life she had been independent, yet as soon as she came here Miaka found that she was going to need a little more than her good-nature and intellect.

"Assassins?!" Genro sputtered out, his eyes widening. "No offense but yer no threat ta anyone…Besides, what happened ta Koan?"

Genro's eyes narrowed as he quietly thought to himself. Of course she was a threat but he wasn't about to tell her that, not yet anyways. Had rumor gotten out? He had told no one about the strange visitor, or who he assumed she was.

"I, um, kinda used your fan on him and his friends." Miaka stared sheepishly at the ground. "I think I took out the entire forest in that area too…" she mumbled in a hushed voice.

Immediately, Genro's face darkened in shades of red. "A WOMAN. touched. MY. _Tessen_?!"

Miaka looked up at him, hoping that her glare could incinerate him into ashes. "Let me get this straight. I get attacked by assassins TWICE, travel to a distant city to find a doctor that was just a RUMOR, almost get my head chopped off persuading him to come here, and your worried that I touched your god damn FAN??"

Genro went speechless, his eyes not blinking. Her anger was almost tangible through the air. He could even see the hairs on her arms stand up.

'_Great, now a woman's gonna make me feel guilty…I didn't realize she went through all that shit….'_

"Miaka, I-I..God damnit. I shouldn't of said that. It's jus' my ol' instincts gettin ta me. I'm not used ta havin' a woman save my ass. Thas all. Thanks fer everything, I mean it."

"Yeah, whatever. If you so badly didn't want me touching your precious fan why did you even bother saving me?" Miaka asked, her hazel-green eyes turning a grayish color. Her lips formed a defined pout, her brows furrowed in confusion.

'_This woman is gonna be tha death of me I swear'_ Genro's eyes lowered to his lap, just then realizing that his hands were trembling with fistfuls of blankets in between his fingers.

"I-I Just couldn't see ya getting' hurt from a feud that didn' have anything ta do with ya. I just did it, didn't really think twice." He grumbled in embarrassment.

"Hm. Your actions seem to be a lot more selfless than your words… or your rude outbursts that is." Miaka shrugged it off. His sacrificing his life was enough proof showing that he cared.

Genro let out a big sigh, air he hadn't noticed that he was holding in. Her last comment would have to do. He didn't feel like going into any deeper details. "So, uh, what exactly happened after I passed out n' all?"

Miaka found his change of subject humorous but relieving at the same time. She could feel her eyelids dangerously drooping over her bloodshot eyes. He, however, did deserve to know the story.

"Well, first…." As Miaka began her lengthy list of details, she realized how foreign the story already sounded. Had all of that really happened to her? Every day she became less doubtful on how real this entire adventure was until she took a moment to look back at the whole story.

"…And then finally I persuaded him to come heal you so we came here through Chichiri's hat. And then he healed you." Miaka counted off the events on her fingers, sounding proud of herself.

"Yer jokin'…." Genro raised an eyebrow towards the girl. "First of all, how did this Chichiri beat an assassin? I'm not sure I wanna know why this Mitsukake guy has his dead wife in his house. And, um, ya came through a hat? Miaka are ya on sumthin?"

Miaka snorted at his reply. She should have figured as much. Even the abnormalities she went through on her rescue mission were too incredulous for a man who used a fan that shot out fire.

"Nope. See Chichiri's this monk who has supernatural powers; kind of like you. His hat is a teleporting device of some sort. Mitsukake was mourning his wife's death, that's why she was still in the house. He healed you because he too has some kind of special power, to heal that is." Miaka pointed to Genro's upper half to where his wound should have been.

"Oh, yea" Miaka added. "Chichiri should hopefully be back tomorrow with Chaos." Thinking of the stallion brought a smile to her face. She hadn't realized how attached to him she had gotten.

"Ya know what, this is too much fer my head. I'll believe ya for now but we need sleep fer tomorrow. We got a long journey a head'a us." Genro rested his head back onto his own pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

"What?" Miaka asked incredulously. "Where are we going now?"

"Well, since ya didn't find yer way home I figured ya could travel with me fer now. 'N I got some errands ta run. Government business." He swallowed roughly, hoping that her sharp senses wouldn't detect what he had planned ahead for her.

"I see…" her voice trailed off. Genro expected her to question his reasons but she must have been dead tired because she had already rolled back into her original sleeping position.

It was then that he realized how tired he himself was. Even though he was healed it didn't mean he was wide awake. His body was physically exhausted from the past couple days. When he closed his eyes however, all he could see were images of Miaka, unguarded against those assassins. Genro tried to imagine what her journey had been like, the struggles she had gone through in order to save his life. They were even now, he supposed; both had saved each other's lives. But for some reason, imagining her pain felt worse than what he had gotten.

He took one more glance at Miaka, more specifically her bruised and battered body. Would she be able to make the journey he had in store for them? Maybe if they waited another day….It wasn't as if he had a specific appointment with the malicious tax collector anyways. He just hoped that Miaka would be able to see through the deceit he was about to put her through.

-o0o-

Warm buttery rays of sun caressed Miaka's face as she began to stir from her deep sleep. Every part of her body seemed to be dead bolted to the mattress she was sleeping on. It didn't help either that her head felt as if it weighed over a hundred pounds. Immediately she felt the intensity of the sunlight that seeped through her eyelids. There was no way it could be this bright in the morning. How long had she slept?

Carefully she opened her eyes, shielding them with her wrapped hand as she pushed herself up with the good one. She tried to remember the events of last night, her pounding head resisting against its use. Slowly, Miaka recalled how Genro had been healed, and how she had been able to persuade Mitsukake to do so. She then recollected her explanation to Genro right before she had fallen asleep. Didn't he mention that they would have to set out soon on another journey?

Miaka turned her eyes to Genro's bed, only to find vacant sheets in place of where his body should have been. At least he had been kind enough to allow her to continue sleeping peacefully.

Before she had a chance to register anything else in her mind, Miaka got a whiff of the sweet aroma of honey and freshly baked bread. The thought of any food caused her mouth to water more than it should have. Her stomach replied with a rather loud complaint, angry with her for not feeding it sooner.

"Looks like someone could use some food, no da!"

Miaka's head turned automatically to the door of the room. There stood the person she had been worrying about for the past 12 hours. "Chichiri!" She could almost feel her smile reaching the lobes of her ears.

Miaka managed to somehow bring herself to her feet swiftly and limp right into his arms. "You weren't hurt, right?" She pulled herself out of the tight embrace inspecting his body for wounds.

"Nope! They didn't even bother to attack, ya know?" Chichiri returned the smile. He then caught a glimpse of her own wounds, his eyes lighting up.

"It looks like we're going to have to call Mitsukake up here a second time. Now that he's had lunch I'm sure he won't mind, ya know?"

"I slept THAT late??" Miaka shook her head violently, trying to make herself more alert.

"You needed it, ya know? I'll go get Mitsukake; stay here." Chichiri turned back down the hallway and descended the stairs.

Miaka limped back towards her tiny mattress, sitting on its edge. It was impossible to think that the wounds that caused her so much pain now would be completely healed in only a minute's time.

A wave of nostalgia rolled over her, as she remembered the times her mother had healed her as a kid, scolding her lack of grace. Miaka's mind suddenly bolted awake and immediately began counting her fingers. How long had she been here?

"Counting the minutes until you get to eat again, Miaka?" A large figure walked into the silent room.

"Hey! Since when did you know about my food fetish?" Fumed, Miaka grit her teeth but couldn't help but loosen her jaw once she saw the innocuous look on Mitsukake's face.

"A certain bandit filled me in a bit, after he thanked me more than 50 times of course" He sent a smile her way, his eyes catching the sun's rays.

Miaka noticed a certain dissimilarity in Mitsukake's expression than when she had first moment. He almost looked as if he were in peace.

"I was trying to count the days to when I was supposed to see my mom again…" If her calculations had been right, her mother would return home in two days. Would Miaka find a way home by then?

"Is she nearby?" Mitsukake asked as he bent down next to her.

"Iie. Very far, I think." Miaka bit her lip as she held out her wrist for Mitsukake's miracle touch.

"You think?" Mitsukake gingerly took her hand and held the other above it, pausing before he healed her. Suddenly, he was intrigued.

'_Great move Yuuki. Now you've got to explain your retarded sounding story to a guy who keeps a dead wife in his house… This is going to go well.'_

"Technically, I'm lost right now…Genro was taking me along with him on his journey to help me find my way back." Miaka felt relief shiver down her spine. That was smooth, and all of it had been true.

"I see…well would you mind if I accompanied you until you found your way home?" Mitsukake looked up into her eyes.

Why was it that everyone she had met suddenly wanted to 'accompany' her? Not that it was a bad thing, but she had never had people flock to her before in such a manner. Miaka had to admit, having Mitsukake along would make her feel much safer, now that a doctor was on their side.

"Not at all! Chichiri's already joined our group as well!" Miaka sent him a reassuring smile.

Mitsukake returned her smile with a small one of his. He then turned back to his job at hand, concentrating on her wrist, using it as a gateway to the rest of her wounds.

Miaka watched once again as a strange glow poured out from his palm and slowly coated her body. Within moments a warm melting sensation flowed throughout her veins relaxing every single one of her muscles. It was even better than the hot tub her recent father had once owned.

"All done" Mitsukake announced, immediately standing up. "Now how about some breakfast?"

Miaka gratefully took his large hand as she almost dragged him out the door in her rush.

o0o

"MM! Thif isss fo goob!" Miaka exclaimed as she nearly inhaled another homemade biscuit smothered in fresh honey. It felt odd being able to use her hand again but now that it was no longer an inconvenience, she ignored the fact.

Genro, who was sitting across from her in the bandit dining hall could only gape in astonishment at the girl's profound hunger. How was she not 300 pounds? "It looks like I'll hafta pack twice tha amount of food for our next journey." A smirk crossed his face.

"Why?" Miaka asked between biscuits.

"Have ya not noticed yer own eatin' habits? Or shall I document how ya just ate a world record amount of biscuits?" He raised an eyebrow, challenging her to retort. Watching her face turn red from anger was pure entertainment.

Instead of retorting however, Miaka grabbed her last biscuit with honey and smashed it in the middle of his face. "Arrogant jerk!!"

"It's rude to make fun of a woman's eating habits Genro no da!" Chichiri wove his finger pointedly.

Mitsukake chuckled at the incident, taking in humor he had not seen in a while.

"Aww shit. Now I gotta wash up again before we leave" Genro huffed as he stood up from his seat.

Miaka's fowl mood immediately changed to one of curiosity. "I thought we wouldn't leave for a couple of days?"

'_Man she doesn't miss a heartbeat!' _ "Since yer healed n' all I figured we could head out early. Wouldn' want ta keep tha government waitin'." Genro's face immediately regained a serious composure. What had he been thinking last night? Why should he care if Miaka needed the rest? With that, Genro headed back to his washroom.

o0o

"Chaos!" Miaka squealed as she caught sight of her new close traveling companion.

The well-rested horse nodded in reply, snorting in agreement with her enthusiasm. A saddle was already adorned upon the horse's back and a traveling sack was tied to the side. Without thinking, Miaka instantly mounted the stallion and found a comfortable spot on the saddle.

"Hey! Off my horse! Git' yer own!" Genro marched up behind her, ready to yank her off himself.

"No way! Besides, Chaos favors me more than you! Or…" a devilish grin adorned Miaka's face. "…we could always SHARE."

"HELL NO." Genro replied.

Before Genro had any chance to yank Miaka off Koji rode up abruptly, with a large group of bandits following him on their own horses.

"Genro, everyone's ready ta go. We emptied tha barn in tha process, so were not leavin' tha others a horse supply but I think they'll live a day er two." Koji gave his horse's reins a yank in the direction of the mountains to the south.

According to Miaka's math, they really would have to share Chaos. Not only did she feel sorry for herself but also she felt horribly for the bickering Chaos was going to have to go through. Unless, that is, if Genro could keep his boorish mouth closed.

"Aw, damnit. Ya better not get fresh wit me!" Genro grumpily took his spot behind Miaka, taking the reins in the process.

The closeness of his body brought a warmth to her cheeks unexpectedly. _'Ugh, just embarrassment.' _

Shouldn't she be used to this by now? She had already spent three days traveling like this before, so shouldn't it be routine? Miaka shook her thoughts; she must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

It seemed to be hours before any sign of civilization came to sight. For once, Miaka and Genro had kept their fighting to a minimum, but that was always ready to change. Koji, Mitsukake, and Chichiri trailed behind the two, all of whom had remained silent in exception to Koji. For once, Miaka and Genro had agreed on something when they both screamed in unison: "SHUT UP!!" to Koji as he was singing his fifth round of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall."

"We're almost there!" Koji announced behind the two.

Miaka's head popped up in excitement; anything would be better than sitting on this horse for much longer.

Genro pointed towards the horizon of the hills they were crossing over at the moment. "That right there, is Konan."

"So what is it that we're doing here?" Miaka asked, hoping to get more information than just 'government business.'

"Government business. Are ya deaf?" He replied, spacing himself away so he could keep to his own thoughts.

"Ergh! I meant what KIND of business?" Miaka gritted her teeth, ready for a fight.

"Bargaining" Genro replied, hoping it would shut up the whiz kid sitting in front of him. Looking at it from a vague point of view, what he had said was the truth. His tactics worked, leaving Miaka silent.

Genro could only hope for a quick and speedy transaction. He knew that Miaka was going to hate him for what he was about to do. Somewhere inside he wished she knew the whole story, but such details would be better left out. Genro knew he shouldn't expect her to want to be his friend after this but every time he thought about it an unsettling feeling would rise in his gut.

In addition to his rambling thoughts on Miaka's soon to be vengeful hate, Genro had to seek a different approach to his plan. Two of the new travelers made it difficult to complete this successfully.

o0o

"Kirei desu!!" Miaka scanned the land in the valley ahead of them. Picture books in her school's library had not done ancient China any justice. Red-roofed huts and buildings dotted the city like flecks of snow. Beyond each corner of the land was a gorgeous scenery. To the left was a mountain range with beautiful snow-caps and to the right was a vast blue ocean. Beyond all the tiny houses and huts was a large imperial looking palace.

"Uh, Chinese please?" Genro grumbled behind her.

Miaka blushed, forgetting once again that her companions were not Japanese. "It means 'It's Beautiful'." She answered in her flawless Chinese tongue.

"Ha! If only ya knew what goes on inside these borders! Besides, ya ain't seen tha area around Reikaku enough."

"What's wrong with this city?" Miaka questioned him. By the looks of it, the city was very well off compared to the other ones she had traveled through.

"Lets just say ya got some corrupt people in Konan. Emperor's only a year older than me." Genro shook his head at the severe thought.

Miaka would have choked had she been eating. "You mean he's only 18 and he's the emperor?!"

"Ya can do math? Wow, I'm shocked. I just thought ya were good at makin' a dis! I'm touched ya remembered my age" Genro smirked at his pun. Making fun of her seemed to release a bit of the tension he felt at the moment.

"Making fun of a woman never makes your dick any bigger, Genro." Miaka gleamed at herself. Sure, that had been vulgar, but he deserved it. She had learned that one from her mother years ago.

"Odango atama, shall I kick you off MY horse? Whoever said we could talk about my… well, _ya know_….that way?"

"You did, when your mouth spoke for_ IT_." Had Genro's voice not been so loud, Miaka could've sworn she heard Chaos snort below them.

"Well Miaka, I think ya should be glad ta know yer probably tha only woman thas out dissed Genro here!" Koji announced as he rode up beside them.

"Aw, Shut up Koji. Haven't ya opened yer mouth enough t'day?" Genro's teeth grit, realizing that he was on his own on this one. He didn't even feel like arguing at this point, not at a time like this anyways.

"Whateva.." Genro loosened the reins a bit and gave chaos a little kick, hoping to get everything over with.

o0o

When they arrived downtown it was hard to keep Miaka on the horse. Everything seemed to catch her attention, including the objects that WEREN'T food. The minutes went by and Miaka realized where they were headed. She soon found the palace looming over them.

" 'Ey Chichiri!" Genro called behind him.

"Hai?" Chichiri rode up beside them, holding his reins in one hand and his scepter in another.

"I forgot ta let tha inn know how many rooms we'd be needin'. Ya think you 'n Mitsukake could make tha reservations while I meet with a friend o' mine?" Genro held his composure to the best he could. Lying had always come natural to him, but whenever he was around Miaka and her friends he could barely choke out the words.

Had the monk's face not been so stiff, Genro could have sworn that worry was written all over it. Could the monk see through his words?

Genro then realized he had been over apprehensive when Chichiri replied with: "No problem, no da!"

"Can I go with them?" Miaka turned back to him.

Genro's brain rushed for another lie. Why did this girl have to be so god damn attached to Chichiri and Mitsukake anyways?

"Well, I thought ya might wanna meet one 'o my friends" Genro sent her a fangy grin.

"No offense Genro, but I'm not one for politics and government issues…." Miaka bit her lip, politics plain-out bored her. She had always been more of a math/science wiz anyways.

"Would you change your mind if I said that we would be going THERE" Genro nodded his head to the imperial looking palace ahead of them.

"HUH?! Genro, how in god's name do you have connections to the emperor??" Miaka, wide-eyed, asked.

"I never said we were gonna go see tha emperor ya know" Genro bit his lip, why'd this girl have to be so sharp?

"Then WHO are we going to go see?" Miaka was already getting ready to hop on Chichiri's horse.

"It's a surprise! Common' I might get ya a tour of the palace too" Genro's eyes fell to the ground. This was unbearable. No; it was nearly impossible. Lying to Miaka felt AWEFUL.

"Fine. When did you become so anxious to surprise me anyways?" Miaka crossed her arms. Something was up and she didn't like the feeling.

"Oh stop bein' a pain 'n tha ass. Ya should appreciate things every once 'n a while ya know?" With that Genro gave the 'signal' to Koji and gave Chaos a nudge in the sides.

Miaka watched as her friends and the rest of the bandits headed off in the opposite direction while at the same time she quickly approached the palace. Why did she suddenly loose that sense of 'protection' that she usually had around Genro?

o0o

"Here we are!" Genro announced as he hopped down off of Chaos. He then lent his hand to Miaka who was attempting a dismount as well. Miaka immediately frowned. This was NOT Genro.

"Ok, who are you, and what have you done to Genro?" she asked as she accepted his help.

"Aw shuddup. I'm jus' makin up fer the stuff I said to ya las' night." Genro grimaced, that was probably the last lie he could give her.

Miaka glared at him for a few moments, taking in his words carefully. He DID have a point.

"Whatever" she replied. With that she followed him towards the doors of the building ahead of them. Come to think of it, weren't they supposed to be going into the imperial palace anyways? The building they were walking towards was only a side sanction of it. While it looked imperial as well, it could not be compared to the awe-like feeling when she looked up at the looming doors of the palace's main entrance.

"Aren't we gonna go to the palace?" Miaka asked as she followed Genro towards two large red doors.

"After I talk ta someone in here. It'll take a second; don' worry." Genro nodded towards the doors, which were adorned with two imperial guards on either side.

"Halt! What business do you have with the baron?" One guard announced, as they crossed their spears in front of the doors.

Miaka gulped. These guards were even scarier than the ones in the movies at home!

"Jus' tell Baron Li that it's Genro." The bandit leader puffed up his chest as he crossed his arms, already impatient.

The two guards looked at each other and then opened the doors. One of them disappeared behind them as the other continued to stand guard.

Miaka could feel the guard's stare as they waited patiently for the other guard to receive permission on their entrance. The silence was so awkward that she swore she could feel it crawling on her skin.

What was only a minute or two felt like an eternity, and finally the guard returned.

"The baron will see you now."

"Much obliged." Genro nodded his head towards the guard and lead Miaka into the building.

The main room was decorated with lavish furnishings such as marble statues and gold-rimmed paintings. A plush red carpet rested beneath their feet and lead to a large ivory oak desk. Here, a middle-aged man sat, hunched over a stack of parchment. Had Miaka not known she was not home she would've sworn they were at a museum that featured some of the finest and the most expensive artifacts from all over the world.

Genro cleared his throat, which brought attention from both the baron and Miaka. Slowly Miaka and Genro made it within a couple of yards to where the baron was sitting. The gray haired man looked up.

"Ahhh, Genro! It's nice to see you again my _friend_." Miaka caught the sarcasm in the baron's voice. Was it because he knew that Genro was a bandit leader? Or were there other veiled enigmas that she had yet to discover on her own?

"And you tha same Baron Li," Genro replied with a curt nod.

The baron stood up slowly and walked around his desk. A silk robe with golden trimmings adorned his body.

'_Where on earth does he get his money?'_ Miaka wondered as she scrutinized the weasel-like baron. When she saw his smirk, she could not help but get a feeling of revulsion. She could only hope that Genro's business with him was brief.

"I received your letter but I doubt there is any possible bargain you could make me for THAT amount of money. And who is this?" the baron twirled his goatee around his fingers as he eyed Genro's companion up and down.

Miaka quickly turned her head towards Genro. This was about money? She should have known. _'WHAT a PIG!'_

Genro frowned when he felt Miaka's incinerating stare. This was just the beginning too. He flicked his head to the side so his hair could cover his own horrified face.

'_Gomen Miaka. I'll understand if you never forgive me….'_

Miaka had had enough. She could care less what was going on; she was leaving, NOW. Just as she turned on her heals however, Genro grabbed her roughly at the arm.

Shock waves rushed down her spine as she glared at him, more confused than ever. Terror seized over her body as her heart began to beat rapidly. "Genro, what the…?"

Before Miaka could finish her question, Genro interrupted her, with the LAST thing she would've expected.

"This girl is tha answer ta our bargain. Give me tha money, and I will give ya tha Suzaku no Miko."

Konnichiwa mina! Gomen for this chapter being so late. My midterms are finally over so I've had time to complete this. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! I'd love to hear what you think!


	10. Don't Pick The Rose

Konnichiwa mina. I'm back! I should be sleeping but oh well. Sorry this chapter took so long. Freshman year killed me. Pre-med isn't as easy as it seems. Did I mention that I'm minoring in Japanese? WOOT! So anyways…I hope you liked the last chapter and that you reviewed . For now, let's get back to DWF!!

Chapter 9: "Don't Pick The Rose"

Miaka was speechless, horrified, betrayed, and grief-stricken at the very least. The person who she had risked her life for was now trading HER for MONEY. Pain struck her from the inside, as if a thousand knives were stabbing at her heart. Immediately her body went numb, the hairs on her body standing up. The only time she had remembered feeling like this was when her father had left their family.

With all of her strength she tried to regain her arm away from Genro's circulation-cutting grip. To no avail however, his grip just tightened.

"IIE! LET GO OF ME YOU BASTARD!!" Miaka screamed, choking on her words.

'_Chichiri, help!_' she pleaded to herself. Not that it would help anyways.

"Suzaku no miko eh?" the baron rose an eyebrow, examining the struggling girl in front of him. "She does look quite foreign…Do you have solid proof?"

Genro 's body tensed as he felt and heard the struggles of Miaka next to him. This was so much harder than he could have ever imagined. Why couldn't this just be as simple as it seemed? She was just another annoying woman who he didn't want in his life, or so he thought. He was pretty sure she would be safe, so why was this so HARD?

"If you fail to think so later I give you my permission to do what you want with me, and I do not take these words lightly." Genro spoke with the most clarity he had ever had in his voice. He knew the baron had always felt insecure with his bandit habits and no longer would he have to pay booty for his capture.

"Very well then" the baron concluded as he walked behind his desk once again. Miaka's body began to shake, and for the first time in years she REALLY cried.

Her head fell to the ground unable to watch what happened next. Everything spun around her head, making it hard to make sense of anything. Everything she had been through with Genro, all the trust she had given him. And in the end she fell prisoner to another fraudulent man in her life.

"Genro, your business has been of great help to me, however, I am busy with taxation files, so if you could find yourself to the door, I would be much obliged." Baron Li walked towards Genro, handing him a hefty sack of gold. The money clinked together, making the air dense and the situation seem even more severe. Genro took hold of the suede bag, holding it guiltily.

"And what of the Miko?" Genro looked away from the trembling girl next to him. If it were possible, his insides felt as if they had genetically molded themselves into a black hole. Each tremble he felt through her arm, gave way to another pang of unknown angst.

'_God damn. I don't deserve anythin'. I really am a horrible person.'_ And he knew it clearly. The money in his other hand was clear proof. How could even he, the leader of a group of bandits, stoop this low? And why could a task such as this, seem so harmful, even if HE thought it was harmless?

In his chain of pitied thoughts, Genro was surprised when a violent yank came from the girl whom which his hand had vice gripped earlier.

"Get out. Now, you insolent, filthy, lowlife." It was not only a demand, but also a sharp, stinging growl coming in between Miaka's sobs.

Genro knew he deserved every name she laid upon him, but yet somehow, her words still shocked him more than he would expect. Her head was faced away from him, and her body looked as if it were slowly caving in.

"You heard the girl, Genro." The Baron chided in. The older man eyed Miaka's body in greed, waiting for the bandit's exit.

"What are you going to do with her?" Genro shot back, enraged at the filthy looks the baron was giving Miaka. He couldn't leave her to the desires of a corrupted man.

"I will pass her to the emperor safely. You have no need to worry." The baron hissed, annoyed at Genro's presence.

"Do I have your word?" This was his last attempt at making sure Miaka would be ok. Already, his plan was beginning to fail.

"You have my word. Now go." Baron Li began to walk towards Miaka, hoping to speed the transaction.

The bandit realized that walking away now meant he could never be a true man, in Miaka's eyes. As much as he tried to convince himself of how it wasn't a big deal, deep down, it mattered. What choice did he have?

With a painful intake of air, Genro turned towards the door, refusing to look back. The building became a long tunnel, with an invisible weight pushing him back towards Miaka. Finally he got to the door, slamming it behind him. Slowly in a daze, he lowered himself, sitting against the door.

'_Wha's wrong with me ? Wha' have I done?'_

~*

~*

~*

"Your majesty, are you firm on your decisions regarding Kouto? The board is behind you, however, some believe that we need more time."

"Kou, if we don't set up our defenses now, the villagers in the farming regions will be put into great peril."

The young board messenger grimaced at the thought. The emperor, once again, was right. He looked back at the young man in front of him. The emperor was the same age as he, making it awkward to address him in such a formal way. How this boy had managed the pressure of taking the throne at the age of six, was beyond anyone's belief.

"I will address the board immediately. How..?" Kou was cut off abruptly.

The emperor stood up quickly, his facial features changing as if they sensed a forthcoming danger. Kou bowed immediately, surprised by the emperor's sudden actions.

"Kou, we will have to continue later. I think, that I may be needed somewhere urgently." With those words, the emperor stripped his royal, hat, shoes, and robe off and took off down the main hallway as if he were a commoner.

Kou stared back in disbelief.

*~

*~

*~

Miaka collapsed to her knees in the commons of Barron Li's office. Rage and grief were understatements as to what she was feeling. Was it her fault that she always met men such as Genro? She looked down at her numb hands. A pale color crept up her limbs, turning her body cold. She heard a rustling of robes and looked up.

"No need to cry, Priestess, Genro only means business and he won't ever change. Why don't we travel somewhere more comfortable?" The baron held out his oily hand to her.

Miaka looked up in rage at the disgusting man. He'd have hell to pay before he touched her in any way. Without thinking straight, she spit at his feet, letting her emotions get the best of her.

Barron Li clenched his fists in rage. NO ONE, treated him in a rude manner. "Ungrateful bitch. Who needs Suzaku anyways?" He hissed through his teeth. In an action that surprised Miaka with greater force than she expected, the baron grabbed her right wrist. With his strength, he began dragging her to the back room.

"Iie! Hentai! LET ME GO YOU SICK ANIMAL!" Miaka screeched trying to regain her wrist and balance. To her disbelief, however, Barron Li was much stronger than his robes hid, and slowly he was winning.

When they reached the door to the back room, Miaka began to panic even more. In front of her was a room with plush couches, a fireplace, and a large bed framed in the middle. She grabbed onto the door's frame struggling for her life and if not that, her virginity.

"Stop playing games you child. Continue making this hard on me and you will not like the consequences." Baron Li grabbed the door and slammed it on her hand, forcing her to let go.

Miaka screamed in pain as she heard the solid crunch of bones breaking. Squinting her eyes in pain, she heard the baron lock the door. She began flailing her legs, trying to kick his legs from under him. Barron Li used this to his advantage and threw her frail body onto the bed.

"Iie!!" Miaka screamed, praying someone heard her.

"Stay still god damnit." The baron growled as he mounted his body on top of hers, disabling the use of her legs.

It was then that Miaka felt a foreign lump from underneath his robes, pressing roughly against her womb. Tears began streaming freely down her cheeks. As it stood now, dying would be easier.

He carefully tried to lift her school uniform's skirt with one hand, as he pinned both her hands to the bed. Miaka flailed more violently, trying to shake him off her middle area.

"I'm warning you priestess. I can make this much harder." He added as he began stripping his own robes off his body with one hand.

"Iie!" Miaka screamed. _'Please, just kill me instead'_

Suddenly she felt one of his hands reach for between her legs as he tried to rub an area no man had ever touched. Miaka, shocked, tried to press her legs together, allowing him to go no further.

"Really now?" the baron chuckled. Instead of continuing, he reached for her waist and grabbed the lining of her underwear, giving it a firm pull. It ripped easily with his strength and he then he continued to rip the other side.

Miaka tugged at her arms, hoping that she had an advantage since he was only using one hand to hold them down. Her wriggling however only made him grip harder. Miaka flinched as his nails cut through her skin.

Annoyed, the baron took his free hand and sent it soaring at Miaka's face. The slap not only left her face numb but also made the room echo with an eerie ring. Miaka screamed in pain. Never had she imagined that she could be violated in such a way.

"STAY STILL!" he yelled, spit showering her face.

With his free hand he threw her underwear across the room and then reached for his remaining robes, which quickly came off.

"IIE!" Miaka screamed with what little power she had. Not a single layer of fabric was left between them and she was in her panic mode. While the baron tried to uncross her legs with his knee it gave Miaka more room to flail. She tried to knee him in a place she knew all men kept sacred but she missed and kneed one side of his butt.

"BITCH!" he yelled. He then once again took his free hand and lifted it into the air. This time he clenched it however, he then sent his fist flying towards her face.

Miaka screamed, but before she could finish, she felt her world fall into blackness.

~*

~*

~*

Genro sulked outside the door, digging through his feelings, trying to convince himself that what he had done was right.

His thoughts were broken however when several horses galloped towards him, obviously in a rush.

"GENRO!" Chichiri ran angrily towards the bandit leaning against the large, golden door.

"WHERE. IS. MIAKA?" the monk demanded.

Genro refused to look up at his companion. "She ran off. How should I know?" he bit out harshly.

"I thought you were going to show her around?" Mitsukake growled from under his breath.

"Look, who cares? Ya' guys can go on without me. Mkay? " Genro feebly pushed himself up and walked towards Chaos.

Chichiri stiffened at Genro's words. Had the bandit not been protecting Miaka this entire time? He sensed a great deal of danger pertaining to Miaka. It was almost as if she had called to him a few minutes ago. Genro knew where she was; the evidence was written all over his face.

Enraged Chichiri began to approach Genro, determined to get an answer out of him. Mitsukake, however, beat him to the punch.

"Where the hell is Miaka?" Mitsukake now had Genro lifted by the collar and was looking him eye-to-eye.

"Git yer damn hands off me!" Genro squirmed under the large man's grip.

"Tell me. NOW. Or I swear I will personally cut off both of your family jewels. Not that you've got them anyways." Mitsukake roughly shook the bandit.

Genro let his defenses down. What did it matter if he got hurt now? He had already screwed it all up anyways. Either way, the two men were going to harm him. If he told them, Miaka still had a chance. He was certain however, neither would allow him near Miaka again, something he could not fathom.

"I fucked up. Ok?!" Genro bit down harshly_._

'_It's better her be safe than not being able to see her again.'_

"HOW?" Chichiri sucked in a breath of nervous air.

"I..I. Fucking hell. I traded her fer money ok? I thought I had good intentions, but when I saw tha baron lookin' at her like that…and he gave me his word that she'd be safe."

"YOU WHAT?!" the two men, clearly enraged now, screamed in his face.

"Don't tell me ya guys didn't notice. Tha' girl's tha fucking Priestess of Suzaku. If I can trade her fer money, frame tha corrupted baron, n' then give tha money away…everythin' will be solved. When I made tha initial deal, tha baron agreed ta pass her right over to tha emperor. Just, something feels really wrong."

"YOU, are an asshole!" Mitsukake screamed at him.

Chichiri shook his head in disbelief. "Genro, just tell us where the baron is."

Genro nodded his head towards the doors behind them. "Let me down. I have no reason to be here anymore."

Chichiri read Genro's face, studying it hard. Yes the bandit had traded Miaka for money. It was now registering in his head however, what the man had attached to that.

'"_frame tha corrupted baron, n' then give tha money away…"'_

"No, Mitsukake bring him with us." Chichiri brought out his hat holding it in front of the large doctor. Something nagged the monk from inside, telling him to bring the bandit.

"This will take us to the baron." Chichiri added as he watched the two men disappear into the black depths of the hat. "Bomb's away…" the monk sighed, hoping they weren't too late.

~*

~*

~*

"Well?" the emperor demanded.

The doctor walked outside of the bedroom with a glum face. "She's going to live but it will take a while to heal both her physical and emotional pains. She twisted her left ankle and right wrist, broke her left hand in three places, broke two ribs, and her face will be swollen for a long time."

"And what of her virginity?" the emperor added in.

"Thanks to you, she lost nothing physical today. However, emotionally I'm not sure."

The boy gave a sigh of relief. For some reason, the fact that she was still a virgin calmed him much more than it should of. Shouldn't he just be relieved that she was still alive?

"For now this is all I can do. I will be back later to check up on her." The doctor turned, and walked down the gated pathway.

The 18-year old emperor peeked inside the large, flowery room. Purples, greens, and golds lavishly decorated the large, empty room. By far this was his favorite guest room but it saddened him that this would be the first time he would have to use it. On the large bed towards the back lay the mysterious, bruised girl.

Something called him closer to her, as if she was asking for him to be at her side. Somehow, he had sensed danger towards the south side of the palace and what he found had not been pleasant.

~Flashback~

_He ran through the halls, quickly approaching the danger he sensed. He wasn't sure what was making him do this but for some reason he trusted his instinct. The hallways seemed longer than usual and it didn't help that he wasn't sure where his instinct was leading him._

_Suddenly, when he passed the door to the baron's headquarters his sense of danger shot through every fiber of his being, making the hairs on his arm stand up. _

"_IIE!"_

"_BITCH"_

_That was all it took for him to barge into the room. What he saw, was by far the most disgusting scene he had ever come by._

"_LI, SHOU!" the emperor screamed towards the naked man on the bed as he thrust his body towards the older man._

_The emperor, after tackling the baron off the bed, cornered the man in the corner. He unsheathed his sword, holding it tauntingly close to the baron's jugular._

"_Ho-Hotohori. Do you not grant me my private time at all?" the man hissed through his teeth._

"_NOT if THIS is how you spend it!" Hotohori spat at the man as he nodded his head towards the motionless body on the bed._

_Hotohori heard the clanking of approaching guards who had caught on to the commotion._

"_Guards!" Hotohori yelled towards their direction at the door. "Take this man to the lowest level of the prison. NOW." Hotohori released his sword, but not before cutting the baron's neck, enough for it to trickle small drops of blood._

_While his guards approached the baron, Hotohori walked towards the bed slowly, afraid of what he would find._

_Laid in a crumpled heap upon the bed was a small figured girl, no older than 16. Her clothes were ripped, face bruised and swollen, and her wrists were bleeding heavily. It wasn't her wounds that made him speechless however, it was her presence. Something was special about her, and the feeling sent chills rushing down his back. His throat began to close, and his eyes became glassy. A surge of spontaneous emotions raged through his body at the sight of this girl._

_He knew immediately he needed to fetch a doctor, and send her to a better-suited room. Hotohori turned to a few of the remaining guards, "Run and get the palace's best doctor and tell him to come to the south-wing guest room!" The guards all nodded and ran from the room._

_Hotohori turned back to the bed, grimacing at what he knew had to be done. As he bent down to pick up the tiny girl he got a good look at her face. She had long eyelashes that covered what must be gorgeous eyes, her pale porcelain skin shaped her jaw line and cheek bones. Her deep chestnut colored hair was draped across the sheets of the mangled bed. It looked as if she had put up quite a fight._

_Deep down, the emperor hoped with all his being that somehow he had gotten here soon enough. He would have to let the doctor determine that._

_Gently, making sure he was touching anything broken or bare, Hotohori picked up the girl and walked her swiftly over to the south wing._

_Once he got to the guest room he laid the tiny girl down gingerly on the bed and waited for the doctor outside the room. When the doctor arrived he issued Hotohori out of the room so he could inspect her closely. The emperor took one last glance at the mysterious girl and closed the doors behind him.'_

~End Flashback~

Hotohori shuddered at the memories that were still fresh in his mind. He glanced back at the girl on the bed. His curiosity slowly crept on him and quietly he entered the room.

What was it that drew him to this girl? He walked up to the vacant chair next to the bed, smoothed his robes, and sat down. Hotohori realized that she would need a hand to hold when she woke up, someone to comfort her. He wanted to make sure that that person was him. And so he waited for when she would wake up.

~*

~*

~*

When Chichiri, Mitsukake, and Genro exited the darkness of the hat, they found themselves in a place almost as pitch black. Softly lit torches mounted the stone walls a couple meters away. Cobwebs adorned the corners of the ceiling, and rancid smelling liquid ran in streams between the cobblestones.

"The prison? This isn't a fucking joke kid" Mitsukake grabbed for Genro's collar again.

"Joke's on me I assume?" a voice chided in behind the group.

Genro turned to see a bloody Baron Li chained to the stone wall behind them. Suddenly all the rage he had held in surfaced itself at the sight of the filthy man in the jail cell.

Mitsukake sensed Genro's rage and released him towards the baron.

"What tha FUCK did ya do ta Miaka?!" Genro threw a swift punch towards the baron's solar plexus.

After flinching for a couple seconds, he looked Genro in the eye. The old man snickered. "Let's just say she won't be able to summon Suzaku anymore. A rose may seem a beautiful thing to pick, but later when you're bleeding it will not."

Genro had no words for the repulsive man. His insides shook at the thought at what he had done to Miaka. Inside Genro couldn't figure out why he felt so strongly to protect this girl. Could it be his guilt driving him for revenge? And why did SHE, as a woman seem different, than all the others? Genro looked down at his 'wolf bite'. He could feel it pulsing beneath the bandages. Was this the reason that made him question his sanity?

Genro's anger flared as he reached for his fan, seconds away from incinerating the baron to a heap of ashes.

As he pulled the fan in front of him he felt a hand grab his wrist sharply.

"Genro, we need to get to Miaka. He's going to die anyways. I'm sure the emperor has a good plan for him. Ya know?" Chichiri focused his energy on finding Miaka and sent it towards his hat once again.

"Ta hell. I'm killin' this guy with my own hands!" Genro tugged for his hand but Chichiri kept a firm hold.

"After you Mitsukake." Chichiri grabbed the enraged, shell-shocked Genro and pulled him in behind.

"Let go of me ya damn monk! " Genro yelled in front of him, trying his best to stay out of the hat. It didn't help however, that the darkness in the hat was acting as a greater force and it easily sucked in the two men.

When the three men landed in a heap they had to shield their eyes from the difference in brightness.

"Git' offa me!" Genro squirmed from underneath Mitsukake who purposely held his sitting position on top of the bandit.

"Ok kid, this is how it goes. If Miaka is…well…you know, I will return the same courtesy that you bestowed upon her. " Mitsukake grabbed a chunk of Genro's fiery bangs and pulled until the bandits neck refused to stretch further. "Glad we got that straight."

Genro remained silent, trying to control the amount of emotions floating around his head. Oddly enough he wasn't worried for his own life, on the contrary it was Miaka's life that he feared for. The thought disgusted him, considering that his entire life he had disliked women. To him however, Miaka wasn't just a woman, she was Miaka. Something that still didn't make sense to him.

Mitsukake stood up next to Chichiri, allowing Genro to regain his posture. The doctor was still confused as to why Chichiri requested that the repulsive boy continue to travel with them. He was certain however, of his trust for Chichiri, which allowed for him to accept the bandit's presence.

Chichiri continued to sense Miaka's life form beyond the door in front of him. It was weak and faltering, but it was there. Knowing what was best, he grabbed Genro and shoved him towards the door. "After you."

Genro sighed and closed his eyes. He refused to look at what his failure had brought upon Miaka.

"NOW!" Mitsukake yelled from behind him.

Genro grabbed for the handle, and pulled, shielding his eyes as he entered. He heard the two men gasp behind him, making him feel even more on edge.

'_Please let her be alive.'_

"Get OUT!" roared a foreign voice.

"Wha-?" Genro, confused opened his eyes at to whom was yelling at the three men.

In front of him stood a regal man of similar age, guarding an occupied bed. The man wore delicate robes colored of the national colors of the south…

"Oi!" Genro yelped. Why was the emperor here?

"Do you have any decency?" the emperor asked the three men.

"Genro. You idiot! Bow!" Mitsukake hissed from the floor below him.

"Ahh, your majesty, my apologies for the intrusion. This young man has something to say." Chichiri pushed Genro forward with his pole.

"Wha? Ah shit Chichiri." Genro looked up at the emperor, trying his best to fade out the girl who lay behind him.

The emperor returned an interested look towards the bandit. " Does it have to do with the woman?"

"I-I. Damnit. Yea. She, I mean, Miaka…I thought I could frame tha Baron Li, by trading her fer money. I swear, I was gonna give it away. He said he wouldn't harm her…" Genro's hands trembled as his nails cut into his palms. None of this should have happened.

"Why on earth would you try to frame the baron that I hired? Let alone you traded a HUMAN being, not an ITEM!"

The emperor inched closer to the bandit, dumbfounded by his stupidity.

Genro's gaze dropped. The answer had seemed pretty easy earlier…

"The baron that ya hired happened ta also be the reason why yer farming regions are producin' less. He's been taxing 'em so much that several families have lost their farms. Last I checked, it was illegal ta tax them. They're supposed to receive taxes from him n' I can guarantee ya, they never did. Ever wander why he's got so much extra money than what ya pay him?" Genro looked the emperor in the eyes.

Everything he had originally had believed in came out truthfully. The emperor deserved to know why his country was in ruins.

The majestic man in front of Genro stood in his spot motionless. Everything the bandit was telling him made sense. He had indeed been questioning the baron's intentions recently. But why trade THIS girl? There were plenty of other girls for hire on the streets, much to his distress.

The emperor's train of thought was halted when the bandit broke the silence. Chichiri and Mitsukake stood there expectant of him, knowing there was one more important piece of information that Genro was leaving out. One they had been shocked to learn only a few minutes ago.

"A-And.... She's tha Priestess of Suzaku"

The emperor stifled a gasp. How was it possible? The fairytale he had believed in as a boy was possibly surfacing as reality. He turned back to the bruised and battered girl that lay on the bed behind him. Walking to her bedside, he took a better glance at her. She looked nothing like the commoners in any region nearby. Her style of clothing also surprised him; never had he seen such an outfit.

It was when the emperor moved that Genro caught a glimpse at Miaka. Her face was a gruesome purple-black. Her wrists, hands, and ribs were heavily bandaged. It took a long hard stare to see if she was still breathing or not. Her liveliness seemed to have left her long ago, leaving a show on her presence. The sight sent chills down his spine and his guilt weighted down his body. He didn't deserve to be in the room.

"What proof do you have?" The emperor asked.

"I-I just know. She was doin' strange things since I found her. Call me crazy, but she seriously fell from tha sky 'n landed on me…" Genro trailed off as he remembered when he had first met the girl in front of him. It felt like months had passed by instead of days. He remembered their interesting talks on Chaos, their bickering moments, and the accidental pervert-like moments; all of which seemed like a ray of sunshine compared to what was happening now.

This girl had saved his life, been able to properly use his tessen, and even gained his best friend's trust. Somehow, those things hadn't been enough to feed his greedy wants for other plans.

With that last thought, Genro found it unbearable to stay in the room. He turned his back to Miaka, and walked towards the door where Chichiri and Mitsukake stood.

"Not so fast. You deserve this Genro." Mitsukake shook his head at the bandits approach and grabbed Genro to turn him back to Miaka.

"Let go of me ya bastard! I've seen enough!" Genro growled at Mitsukake. He needed a release of feeling, a quiet place to run away.

"Fell from the sky?" The emperor finally asked Genro. Chichiri and Mitsukake listened intently. Neither of them had been sure of the girl's identity, nor had they known what had happened between Miaka and Genro.

"Yea. If ya think I'm mental then, fine. Tha girl was also able ta destroy over 100 Kutou Region bandits. She set an entire forest ta flames." Genro answered. He knew that by saying these things the emperor would take better care of her. She needed it.

The emperor studied Genro for a few seconds contemplating on the truth of his words. There was no need however. He knew the bandit was not lying. There was no proof as to why he knew that, just instinct.

"Very well then, my name is Hotohori. If you're story is true then I ask you to please leave this woman alone. I'm sure she is already hurt enough by your betrayal. Since your intentions were decent, I will not arrest you, but I will have you watched by my guards over the next couple of days. I will need you for questioning."

"I, I just want ta go back to tha mountains. Ask tha other two what you need" Genro replied to the emperor. He glanced back to Chichiri and Mitsukake, both annoyed at his ignorance.

"And you two are?" Hotohori asked to the two other men.

Both Chichiri and Mitsukake bowed. "Chichiri and Mitsukake, your majesty." Chichiri answered. "And this bandit knows much more about the priestess than we do." There was no way he was going to let the bandit get away easily.

"Very well then. I will request your stay at my palace then. Genro, you are not to be allowed anywhere near the South Wing. You will be watched at all times by my guards. If you so as try to escape, I will have you arrested for the harm of the Suzaku no Miko."

Genro sighed. He deserved every ounce of what was being dished to him. Why though had Chichiri and Hotohori wanted him around if Miaka had been hurt on his account? He didn't deserve her friendship or time after this. What confused him however, was that somewhere he felt that staying away from the south wing, would cause more emotional pain than he realized.

Genro took one last glance at Miaka and turned to walk for the door where guards were already waiting.

'_Miaka, I'm sorry…'_

~*

~*

~*

Hey guys! Next chapter is already in the making! Stay tuned!


End file.
